SHIFT Advisory enters 2026 with momentum as 2025 hires signal growing demand for flexible model

SHIFT Advisory enters 2026 with momentum as 2025 hires signal growing demand for flexible model

After a strong 2025, SHIFT Advisory enters 2026 with momentum and optimism, reflecting the continued growth of its community of highly experienced lawyers and the calibre and diversity of those who joined the firm last year.

SHIFT Advisory has built a reputation for attracting experienced lawyers drawn to a flexible, secondment-based model that allows them to maintain career progression while working on their own terms.

Lawyers design their working week – whether it’s specific days, hours, locations, or project windows – and are embedded into in-house legal teams across a range of sectors including corporate, technology, health and financial services sectors.

“Our clients come to us with a specific need, and we focus on matching them with the right lawyer, in a way that works for everyone,” says Founder and Director Prue Tyler. “It’s a practical and proven solution for in-house teams. The lawyers who joined the SHIFT community in 2025 reflect how experienced practitioners are choosing flexibility without compromising on quality or career progression.”

Last year, SHIFT welcomed a mix of senior, experienced in-house lawyers reflecting the firm’s ability to attract talent across a broad spectrum of legal experience. These lawyers bring expertise from corporate and commercial law, financial services, insurance, governance, and regulatory roles, and many have held senior in-house positions or leadership roles.

New team members 2025:

Alexandra Birt, Amy Goatley, Adam de Hamel, Cath Henderson, Catherine Ongley, Chantelle Stroud, Greg Sparling, Katie Wyllie, Kirstin Rankin, Lisa Carbines, Nichola Hiatt, Pip Breitmeyer, Rebecca Green, Tonia Burgh.

The 14 new team members who are based across New Zealand, from Auckland to Wellington, New Plymouth, and Christchurch have become part of a close, collaborative community, where connection, shared values, and support are as important as the high-quality work they deliver.

“Many of our lawyers balance professional ambition with other aspects of their lives – family, governance roles, study, or community involvement – and it’s working incredibly well,” Tyler explains. “It’s about keeping great lawyers in the profession, but also ensuring our clients get outstanding expertise exactly when they need it.”

This approach has been particularly effective in providing in-house teams with short-term, high-impact support for special projects, regulatory changes, and transactions.

“The demand is there, and the lawyers love it,” Tyler says. “We’ve got lawyers on their fifth, sixth, and seventh roles now. The model really has proven to be a viable way for lawyers to stay engaged, continue progressing, and work on meaningful projects.”

Looking ahead, Tyler’s vision for SHIFT remains central to the firm’s identity.

“From the beginning, our vision has been about keeping excellent women and men in the profession in a way that works for them. Creating a community where lawyers can thrive, contribute, and continue to build their careers without compromising what matters in their lives, is at the heart of everything we do.”

With a growing number of lawyers nationwide and an HQ team supporting them, SHIFT Advisory enters 2026 confident that normalising different ways of working in law is here to stay, with the support of its excellent lawyers, long-standing client relationships and the strength of SHIFT’s wider community.