Our Values

At Dentons Kensington Swan, we recognise that diversity isn’t just about inclusion, it’s showing a commitment to all of our people. We celebrate and value that everyone is different, and we’re proud of this.

International Women’s Day is an opportunity for us to re-establish these strong values, acknowledge our progress on the journey of equity and gender equality, and in doing so, we understand that this is not a matter of a single destination, but an on-going commitment in and out of the office.

The importance of today deeply reflects our passion and perspective of female empowerment. Women make up 50 percent of our governing board and 60 percent of our senior management team. We achieved recognition as New Zealand’s highest percentage of female partners in 2020 from amongst the large firms, and our efforts won’t subside.

Celebrating our wāhine toa

There are many incredible women at Dentons Kensington Swan who come from all walks of life and help make our firm what it is today. From leaders marching their paths, to juniors bold enough to start theirs. From mothers, daughters or wives, to sporting heroes, entrepreneurs and thought leaders. Here’s a glimpse from only a few of the wāhine toa that we’re proud are a part of our team.

Catriona Grover is a partner in our financial services team and an integral member of our governing board. She has more than 20 years’ experience and has accumulated significant recognition in the Law community for her achievements, leadership, and community service. Catriona is a member of Women in Super which is a voluntary and non-profit national network of women associated with the retirement savings industry in New Zealand. Catriona’s experience brings a depth of knowledge and awareness of industry practice to her clients and team.

Amy Johns is a senior associate and a highly experienced lawyer in our property team. Amy’s experience includes working internationally, in-house roles and working for top tier New Zealand firms. She has extensive experience across all aspects of commercial property, taking transactions through from the due diligence, acquisition and fund stage through to development, leasing and disposal. Amy is a role model and mentor in and out of the firm and so when asked about her advice for young women and men starting their professional careers, she said, “there is no single career path or single destination in a career web which is right for all people and what is right for you may well change over time. There are times where it may not feel like it, but you are in complete control of your career. Make your choices and own them.”

Emma Gibbins is our People Director and has first-hand experience working with all sorts of people from different and diverse backgrounds. Her experience includes working internationally for several years before returning to New Zealand and joining the team at Dentons Kensington Swan in 2015, to becoming Human Resources Director by 2018. Emma is an active member of the Global Inclusion and Diversity Leadership Council and champions diversity at Dentons Kensington Swan by overseeing the operations and efforts we actively take to nurture, appreciate and live according to our diversity and equity values.

Jenni Rutter is a partner and co-leader of our Intellectual Property team. With over 20 years’ experience, her success isn’t limited to her work, but she has made a significant impact in the community with her pro bono projects and as a member of the firm's Wellness Committee. Jenni’s recognition stretches far and wide with top tier rankings and clients commenting on her "ability to explain complex strategies and technical details in a way that is easy to understand. She does not adopt a ‘one size fits all’ legal approach but tailors her advice to each client, so you know she really has your best interest in mind. Jenny is not just professional and extremely responsive at all times of the day, but also warm and genuinely interested in the work and growth of each client’s business.”

Nicky McIndoe is a partner and leader of our Environment and Planning team. Her passion, success and extensive experience has made Nicky a leading advisor for some of New Zealand’s most influential businesses and government departments. Nicky has a particular interest in heritage regulation, and advises New Zealand’s heritage regulator Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga, as well as clients such as the NZ Transport Agency, on the protection of heritage buildings and archaeological sites. Her recent recognition in the 2019, 2020 and 2021 directories reflect this.

Charlotte Henley is a partner and co-leader of our Intellectual Property team. Charlotte has many years of experience in resolving intellectual property disputes, and has worked for some of New Zealand’s largest and leading businesses. She is a thought leader who is sought for her experience and knowledge and has spoken at many prestigious events including “Opportunities and Challenges for Maori Exporters” and “Influencer Marketing in NZ”. Her community presence is also felt through her pro bono work and lengthy recognition with the World Trademark Review, Legal 500 and Chambers Asia-Pacific directories. Charlotte is also a member of the Intellectual Property Society of Australia in New Zealand where she collaborates with other lawyers and patent attorneys, sharing her experience and knowledge.

A kōrero with some of our leading women

What’s a lesson or highlight you’ve experienced that’s unique to being a female leader?

Emma: A lesson I have learnt over the years is the importance of helping other females through to leadership roles by providing them with the opportunity and encouragement to ensure their skills and talents are recognised. I am a firm believer in never pulling the ladder up behind me, we should be supporting and celebrating each other’s successes

Jenni: After I left the partnership in London to come home and raise our baby twins in NZ, I spent three years at home working as a mother and not a lawyer. Much as I loved it, I was low on personal confidence by the time I realised I needed to return to work. Re-establishing my career after those years at home and many years in a different jurisdiction was a challenge, but DKS welcomed me with open arms and Sheana Wheeldon (the partner who hired me) gave me every possible support to find my wings again.

Nicky: I would say that most lessons and highlights are not unique to female leaders, but can be experienced by everyone. The one exception to this was when I was pregnant with my daughter, and had to work out what I was going to do to look after my team and clients when my daughter was born. At the most basic level, the firm’s partnership deed did not (at the time) address the issue of parental leave. And, as partners are business owners rather than employed staff, parental leave was not guaranteed. I was really proud of the partners for unanimously supporting a change to our deed which filled this gap, so that future parents can have more certainty.

Charlotte: My highlight has been having the opportunity to be both a partner in a law firm as well as having time off on maternity leave with each of my 3 children, and returning to work part time after each of them. DKS was fantastic about supporting me through each of these stages, and did so years ago when this wasn’t as common in the industry as it is now (my eldest child is now 19). Some of my peers at other firms couldn’t wrap their heads around the idea that I was a part time partner with young children! Nowadays both mothers and fathers can do this, and gender is not so much an issue in this equation.

Professionally, what’s one of the greatest risks you’ve taken, or challenges you’ve had to overcome?

Emma: One of the biggest challenges I have had to overcome is believing in myself and having confidence in my abilities to take on leadership opportunities. I think for women there are many occasions where our own self-doubt or lack of confidence in our ability to succeed impacts on whether we take that next step.

Jenni: See answer 1! But more recently, standing up in front of the firm to talk about a dear friend who had committed suicide and what it meant to me, and how I hoped it would never happen at DKS, was a very vulnerable moment. I have learnt in the last few years in particular (it’s never too late!) that vulnerability is an enormous strength to bring to a team environment. As a woman, I spent much of my younger career thinking - at least subconsciously - that it was important to appear strong and capable at all times, and never let people I saw as superior to me (in those early days mainly men) know how I was really feeling. Things are very different now.

Nicky: When I moved from my previous firm to Kensington Swan (as it then was) to become a partner, a few people asked about the “risk” I was taking and whether I was daunted by the move. I’d been at my previous firm for a long time, and so the change would take some adjustment, but I was surprised that others saw my move as risky. In my mind, the greater risk was that I would stagnate where I was, not enjoy my work, and perhaps leave private practice altogether. Moving to Kensington Swan forced me to bring new energy and focus to my work, as I built a team and a range of clients, and I enjoy my work a lot more now.

What advice would you give to young women starting their careers?

Emma: You may start your career with a plan of what you want to do and what you want to achieve, but you don’t have to have it all figured out. You career is a journey and it may lead you to the most unexpected place from where you had originally planned. Be open and flexible, making the most of all opportunities.

Jenni: That there are many, many different routes to personal success but the only person who needs to decide what success means is you. Don’t let anyone ever hold that over you. You are enough. You are talented. You can decide on your pathway and make it work. Believe in the power of your own voice but never forget there is even more power in listening first. A career in law gives you the chance to make a difference to people who need your expertise, so put your heart into it as well as your head.

Nicky: Working as a lawyer means relying on many people for support – the team you work with, the clients who instruct you, and people in the industry who recommend you to others. My career has benefitted greatly from these cheerleaders who have created opportunities, recommended me for interesting work, believed in me, and instructed me even when I was 7 months pregnant and it felt like everyone else was preparing to write me off for a year. My advice for young women is to work out who their cheerleaders are, and look after them! Don’t let them down, and find ways to make them look good. Cheerleading for women doesn’t come naturally for everyone unfortunately, so make sure you celebrate yours.

Charlotte: Decide on what’s important to you personally and professionally, and recognise there is not only one pathway to get there. Believe in yourself and keep focused on what you want to achieve in all aspects of your life, both personally and professionally.