MEDIA RELEASE –
Appointment of new partners reflects changing face of law
New Zealand’s specialist health sector law firm, Claro, has appointed Anita Miller and Iris Reuvecamp as partners.
Established two years ago, Claro is New Zealand’s only nationwide law firm specialising in health law and the health
sector. Claro has offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
Anita, Iris and fellow partner Dr Jonathan Coates have worked together for many years, initially at Buddle Findlay,
where they were the core of the health law team before establishing Claro. Claro’s clients include district health
boards, primary health providers, health regulatory authorities, government agencies, professional indemnity
organisations and insurers, aged care and mental health and disability providers, and private hospitals.
Jonathan says Claro’s philosophy is behind both the firm’s growth and the appointment of Anita and Iris as partners.
“Our philosophy is built on the belief that organisations operate more effectively when they’re able to proactively
identify and manage risk,” he says.
“Claro’s uniqueness is as much in how we work with clients as in our specialisation. It is based on a belief that legal
knowledge is at its best when applied before things go wrong. To use a medical analogy, we promote wellbeing as much as
ill-health."
Claro aims to reflect the best characteristics of health care.
“Practised at its best, health care minimises the likelihood of adverse outcomes in the first place, so it makes sense
that the law that supports the health sector should do the same."
Consistent with this, Anita and Iris will commit a significant portion of their time to the training and proactive
support of client teams to empower people to carry out their roles with confidence in managing legal risk, and to
increase organisational self-reliance.
As well as running regular training sessions in core risk management practice such as good governance, Claro is
receiving increasing requests from individual clients for customised training packages. It expects this part of its work
to increase substantially in the coming years, and is keen to meet demand.
“At Claro, we believe in a multi-disciplinary approach to problem-solving and risk management. We believe that working
in true partnership with our clients produces the best possible results,” Anita says.
To that end, Iris says: “Claro’s abiding understanding of the way the health system works, how health practitioners
operate, current policy initiatives, political pressures and national and international innovation ensures we understand
the needs of our clients, and are able to work closely and effectively with them to achieve their respective
objectives."
About us:
Established in July 2012
Offices in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch
Staff numbers: 11
Major client areas: DHBs, regulatory authorities, private surgical hospitals, insurers and professional
indemnity/defence organisations; professional colleges and associations; aged care providers; mental health and
disability, public sector agencies; primary care providers; clinical specialist groups.