Australasian Lawyer and NZ Lawyer's annual Elite Women special report celebrates the achievements and hard work of women in the legal profession. In this year's report, Buddle Findlay Partner Jennifer Caldwell has been recognised as one of the legal profession's elite, having made a significant impact in her career and the profession in the past 12 months.
Jennifer has over 30 years' experience in environmental law and litigation, and has built a strong reputation as a leading New Zealand environmental lawyer. Jennifer is a senior partner in Buddle Findlay's national resource management and environment team, and earlier this year retired from her five-year tenure as the Buddle Findlay National Chair.
Jennifer specialises in resource management, environmental and local government law, with extensive experience as a strategic adviser and specialist litigator in the Environment Court, High Court and higher courts. She is a leading New Zealand lawyer advising on consent and designation projects and strategic planning processes.
In March 2024, Jennifer was appointed as the Alliance Programme Director for Te Tupu Ngātahi Supporting Growth Alliance. Jennifer was instrumental in Buddle Findlay's appointment to the Alliance in 2017, a multi-year programme of route protection for transport infrastructure to support Auckland's growth over the next three decades. From 2018 to date, she has been Legal Manager and Quality Director for the Alliance with oversight of multiple designation projects. More recently, in February 2025, Jennifer was appointed as an Associate Panel Convener for the Government's new fast-track approvals regime designed to enable streamlined approvals for large infrastructure and development projects. Jennifer's role involves assessing project applications to determine complexity and relevant expertise required, appointing a decision-making panel, and determining the decision-making timeframe on a project-by-project basis.
In April 2016 Jennifer was elected to the Buddle Findlay Board of Management, and from 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2025 Jennifer held the role of National Chair. She successfully navigated the firm through the pandemic, challenging economic conditions and significant regulatory change during her five years in the role. During Jennifer's term the firm continued to realise consistent growth, in its people, revenues, scale, and in leadership, in multiple practice areas.
“We’ve seen very strong performance and growth despite a depressed market, which is a credit to Jennifer’s leadership and ability to motivate our teams. I share her belief in every voice being heard and valued, whether that’s within the business or with our clients. The feedback we receive most from clients is that, in addition to excellent legal advice, the fact that we are genuine and easy to work with sets us apart,” Sherridan Cook, Buddle Findlay National Chair says.
Jennifer has overseen a number of policies that promote diversity and inclusion. The firm has embedded flexible working, while acknowledging the benefits of being in the office to support the next generation of lawyers. Sick leave limits were removed, recognising the value of reducing additional stress during tough times, and the firm implemented a market-leading paid parental leave policy and a menopause policy. This mindful approach under Jennifer's leadership has helped Buddle Findlay consistently rank among the top employers of all large law firms in New Zealand.
Jennifer was also focused on growing the firm's leaders through coaching and development, and was instrumental in the development of a partner leadership programme and emerging leaders programme. The firm has also made real progress in gender equity, from achieving more than 65% female representation on the Board of Management to promoting women in the firm to full equity.
"Jennifer is a great leader, operating a high-trust, high-respect leadership model, which allows people to flourish in their roles. During her time as National Chair, she worked closely with and empowered the Senior Leadership team, supporting us to demonstrate our capabilities and do what we do best," says Philip Maitland, Chief Executive.
We would like to congratulate Jennifer on this well-deserved recognition.
