History  

WOODWARD ILES & CO

Woodward Iles, which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2000, began as a partnership between Keith Woodward and Geoff Jeune in early 1925. 

Geoff Jeune left the partnership not long after but Keith ("Woody") remained until 1984, firmly setting in place the spirit and tone of the firm with his jovial nature and readiness to take on all manner of legal work.  Woody was prominent in many areas of Gisborne City life: business, sporting (especially rugby) and social.

Darcy Iles joined Woody after Geoff Jeune’s retirement and applied his considerable skills to the preparation of matters to be heard in the Supreme Court (now High Court).  He retired in the early 1970s.

Bill Furness was another partner whose son Walter was also with the firm for a short time and later became the Lord Draftsman.

Later partners were Tony Kay, who left to work in London; and Charles Chauvel from French Polynesia, who joined in 1960 and worked until his retirement in 1998.
 
Four other partners became judges – Phil Cooper and Denys Barry are still working as judges, John Gatley has retired and the late Dick Kearney was a District Court Judge and member of the Waitangi Tribunal.

The firm’s only other two partners were Debra Smallholme, now a Disputes Tribunal referee in Auckland, and Bruce Carey, who recently retired.

CHRISP & CHRISP

Chrisp and Chrisp was a real family business which was started in 1884 by EJ Chrisp.  He later formed a partnership with the Coleman brothers creating Coleman and Chrisp.
 
When that partnership dissolved, EJ Chrisp and his brother Ernest built an office in Childers Road taking the name of Chrisp & Chrisp.  EJ’s son Harry then joined the firm in 1919.  Nephew Dawson joined in 1923.
 
Tony (Harry’s son) joined in 1957, well known local sporting identity Wayne Callaghan came on board in 1971 and Tony Adeane in 1974 – these three partners forming the latter day Chrisp & Chrisp until Tony Adeane’s appointment as a District Court judge in 1984.
 
Tony Chrisp retired to Taupo in 1999 and the last remaining partner, Wayne Callaghan, moved to the amalgamated firm of Woodward Chrisp in 2002.
 
Wayne, who was a hugely popular local identity, sadly died in 2005. 

WOODWARD CHRISP

The present day firm of Woodward Chrisp has three partners, Geoff Bibby, Ross Revington and Adam Simperingham, one consultant, six staff solicitors, four legal executives and a support staff of ten.
Our modern premises are in the refurbished Wilson James Centre, although to some locally, it will always be known as the “Power Board building”.