Although a return to the city centre was always planned, growth in the firm meant a move became increasingly necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile it was wonderful being immersed in the bustling Riccarton culture, it\u2019s great to finally move back to the city and be a part of the newly re-built business district,\u201d says Andrew Scott, Senior Associate.<\/p>\n
Staff had only recently moved into the 20th storey of the PWC building when the earthquake struck and there were still unpacked boxes around the office. Being in the Red Zone, the building was inaccessible and was later found to be non-compliant with safety regulations. Staff worked from home for a few weeks, then moved into a temporary unit, before a more permanent move to Riccarton.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter experiencing the earthquake and being displaced from the CBD it\u2019s great to see the James & Wells team being part of the regeneration of Christchurch central,\u201d says Partner, Jason Rogers.<\/p>\n
As New Zealand\u2019s only major IP firm with a Christchurch office, James & Wells\u2019 team of IP specialists has a local focus but is backed by a national team to ensure clients\u2019 IP rights are always front of mind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were lucky that our files were backed up on a server located in the North Island and we were able to get back into action relatively quickly. With all our paper documents out of reach in the cordoned-off office, we had to embrace our IT and made the switch to a fully electronic filing system for good,\u201d says Andrew.<\/p>\n
The last seven years have seen significant developments in the firm including the establishment of a specialist division to assist clients doing business with Asia, and expansion of the firm into Australia.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur local clients create some amazing things, and are always looking to take their innovative ideas, inventions, brands and products global,\u201d says Jason. \u201cWe aim to be there every step of the way to assist our clients with their international ambitions. Our firm has grown organically to meet our clients\u2019 needs and to help them conquer global markets.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the country\u2019s leading privately-owned IP law practice \u2013 and the 2018 winners of the New Zealand IP Specialist Law Firm award \u2013 James & Wells is proud to have been supporting innovation in Christchurch for over 20 years. Throughout that time, we have helped protect a multitude of brands and innovations, as well as resolve IP disputes across a wide variety of industries and organisations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur South Island clients appreciate our committed local presence,\u201d says Andrew. \u201cHelping Canterbury get back on its feet after the quakes has been challenging, but we have turned the corner and are very excited about the future.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
After seven years in Riccarton following the 2011 earthquake, James & Wells intellectual property (IP) law firm has relocated to central Christchurch with a new office on High Street. Although a return to the city centre was always planned, growth in the firm meant a move became increasingly necessary. \u201cWhile it was wonderful being immersed…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":1370,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[252],"class_list":["post-3502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-au","insight-resource-articles-au"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n