Henderson Reeves, which has been operating in Northland for over four decades, opened its Auckland branch in 2016 after being approached by Funnell and Henderson with the idea. The pair, whose career histories are closely aligned, were keen to re-enter legal practice after both taking a 10-year hiatus to have children.

Meet the new Directors at Henderson Reeves:

Shelley Funnell

Shelley Funnell describes herself as a “GP of the legal world”, with a broad base of legal experience covering property, estates, family and commercial law. She graduated from Victoria University in Wellington in 1997 with a first class honours degree in law and a commerce degree. She went on to work for major law firms and multinational banks in New Zealand and overseas, before taking a career break to have a family. Shelley joined Henderson Reeves and launched the firm’s Auckland branch together with Taina Henderson in 2016, and became a Director in 2021.

Taina Henderson

Taina Henderson focuses on relationship property law, assisting people coming to agreements and resolving disputes under the Property (Relationships) Act, and appears in the Family Court, specialising particularly in relationship property proceedings and spousal maintenance. Like Shelley, whom she worked alongside in her early career at a major Auckland law firm (in the commercial property and infrastructure area), Taina also spent time working for a law firm overseas, and similarly took an extended career break to have a family. She co-founded Henderson Reeves Auckland with Shelley in 2016.

Nicole Dore

Nicole Dore joined Henderson Reeves in 2018 as part of the litigation team, bringing her experience as a Crown Prosecutor to the role. She graduated from Otago University in 1997 with bachelor's degrees in law and commerce, followed by a further year's study in philosophy and medical ethics. She was admitted to the bar in 1999 and worked in Nelson, where she was approved as a Crown Prosecutor in 2002. In 2007 she moved to Whangārei to further her career, and throughout her 17-year tenure as Crown Prosecutor has conducted hundreds of Jury trials in both the District and High Court. She became a Director of Henderson Reeves in 2021, and is now using her courtroom experience in relationship property and care of children act disputes.