Auckland Commercial Firm Saves $320K in Legal Research
An 18-lawyer Auckland commercial firm uses Quillio for M&A due diligence, employment law research, and commercial contract review under New Zealand law. The firm estimates annual savings of $320K in research time and junior lawyer costs while improving turnaround on commercial transactions by 45%.
What they were trying to solve
The firm handles mid-market M&A transactions ($5M-$80M), employment disputes before the Employment Relations Authority, and commercial contract work for Auckland businesses. Due diligence on a typical acquisition required 3-4 junior lawyers working 2 weeks to review vendor documents against the Companies Act 1993 (NZ), Fair Trading Act 1986 (NZ), and sector-specific regulations. Employment matters required extensive research into Employment Relations Authority determinations — a resource-intensive process given the ERA's less structured reporting compared to the courts.
Why Quillio
Quillio processes due diligence document rooms and produces structured reports flagging risks under the Companies Act 1993, Commerce Act 1986, Overseas Investment Act 2005, and sector regulations. For employment matters, it researches ERA determinations and Employment Court authority on issues like unjustifiable dismissal under s103A of the Employment Relations Act 2000 (NZ), restraint of trade enforceability, and restructuring consultation obligations.
Implementation
The firm piloted Quillio on two concurrent M&A transactions, running it in parallel with the manual due diligence process. Quillio identified 3 material risks the junior team had not yet flagged. After a 6-week pilot, the firm adopted Quillio as the first-pass tool for all due diligence and employment research.
Measurable outcomes
Reduced research hours and junior lawyer overtime across the firm
Typical mid-market DD completed in 6 days instead of 11
Per-issue employment research from instruction to draft advice
Quillio catches risks that manual review occasionally misses under time pressure
Firm handles more concurrent transactions with the same team
"New Zealand M&A is fast-paced — vendors expect due diligence done in days, not weeks. Quillio gives us a first-pass risk report in hours, and our lawyers spend their time on the issues that matter instead of reading every document from scratch."
How it works in practice
M&A due diligence document analysis, Companies Act 1993 compliance review, employment law ERA determination research, commercial contract review, Fair Trading Act risk assessment, and Overseas Investment Act screening.
What they avoided
Hiring 3-4 additional junior lawyers at NZD $85K+ each to handle growing transaction volumes, outsourcing due diligence to contract lawyers unfamiliar with the firm's clients, or turning away mid-market transactions during busy periods.
Case study FAQs
Does Quillio work with New Zealand law?
Yes — Quillio covers New Zealand legislation including the Companies Act 1993, Employment Relations Act 2000, Fair Trading Act 1986, Commerce Act 1986, Property Law Act 2007, and the Overseas Investment Act 2005, as well as NZ case law and ERA determinations.
Can it research Employment Relations Authority determinations?
Yes — Quillio searches ERA determinations and Employment Court decisions on issues like unjustifiable dismissal (s103A ERA 2000), personal grievances, redundancy consultation, and restraint of trade enforceability.
How does it handle NZ-specific due diligence?
Quillio analyses vendor documents against NZ-specific requirements including Companies Act director duties, OIA consent thresholds, Commerce Act competition clearance triggers, and sector-specific regulations like the Financial Markets Conduct Act 2013.
Is it suitable for cross-border AU/NZ transactions?
Yes — Quillio covers both Australian and New Zealand law, making it suitable for firms handling Trans-Tasman transactions that need to navigate both regulatory frameworks.
Run the same pilot.
New Zealand commercial firms should trial Quillio on a recent due diligence or employment research matter and compare the output against their manual process. Start a free trial.
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