{
  "schema_version": "2026-11-11",
  "answer": "We hold 14 NZ Law Society register entries for Ford Sumner; 14 with a current practising certificate; 3 list Company/Commercial as an area of practice; admitted between 1997 and 2025.",
  "register_facts": {
    "entries": 14,
    "onRegister": 14,
    "withCertificate": 14,
    "certificateTypes": [
      {
        "type": "Barrister & Solicitor",
        "count": 14
      }
    ],
    "roles": [
      {
        "role": "Employee",
        "count": 12
      },
      {
        "role": "Partner",
        "count": 2
      }
    ],
    "admitted": {
      "earliestYear": 1997,
      "latestYear": 2025,
      "medianYearsSince": 4,
      "count": 14
    },
    "courts": [
      {
        "court": "Wellington High Court",
        "count": 11
      },
      {
        "court": "Auckland High Court",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "court": "Christchurch High Court",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "court": "Hamilton High Court",
        "count": 1
      }
    ],
    "areas": [
      {
        "area": "Company/Commercial",
        "count": 3
      },
      {
        "area": "Civil Litigation",
        "count": 2
      },
      {
        "area": "Employment",
        "count": 2
      },
      {
        "area": "Property",
        "count": 2
      },
      {
        "area": "ACC",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "area": "Bank/Finance",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "area": "Family",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "area": "In-house counsel",
        "count": 1
      },
      {
        "area": "Trusts and Estates",
        "count": 1
      }
    ],
    "sections": [
      {
        "section": "Property Law",
        "count": 3
      },
      {
        "section": "Family Law",
        "count": 1
      }
    ],
    "readFrom": "2026-11-11",
    "readTo": "2026-11-11"
  },
  "slug": "ford-sumner",
  "legal_name": "Ford Sumner",
  "profile_url": "https://lawyerfinder.co.nz/law-firms/ford-sumner",
  "locations": [
    "Wellington"
  ],
  "practice_areas": [
    "Company/Commercial",
    "Civil Litigation",
    "Employment",
    "Property",
    "ACC",
    "Bank/Finance",
    "Family",
    "In-house counsel",
    "Trusts and Estates"
  ],
  "lawyer_count": 14,
  "contact": {
    "website": null,
    "phone": null,
    "email": null
  },
  "lawyers": [
    {
      "name": "Sarah Louise Churstain",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/sarah-louise-churstain/?glh=1",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [
        "Property"
      ],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Paul Aaron Gillespie",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/paul-aaron-gillespie/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Joshua Ojeda Basobas",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/joshua-ojeda-basobas/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [
        "ACC",
        "Bank/Finance",
        "Company/Commercial",
        "In-house counsel"
      ],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eloise Alexandra Sharpe",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/eloise-alexandra-sharpe/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [
        "Civil Litigation",
        "Employment"
      ],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Boyang Bao",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/boyang-bao/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Elizabeth Jane Hughes",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/elizabeth-jane-hughes/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [
        "Company/Commercial",
        "Property",
        "Trusts and Estates"
      ],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jordan Benjamin Todd",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/jordan-benjamin-todd/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Nikita Monisha Magan Govind",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/nikita-monisha-magan-govind/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [
        "Civil Litigation",
        "Employment",
        "Family"
      ],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daniel Michael Lindsay Fraser",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/daniel-michael-lindsay-fraser/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [
        "Company/Commercial"
      ],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Emma Grace Jackson",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/emma-grace-jackson/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Fenella Kate Tayler Smith",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/fenella-kate-tayler-smith/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jaesen Robert Sumner",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/jaesen-robert-sumner/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Rebecca Nicole Richter",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/rebecca-nicole-richter/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    },
    {
      "name": "Christian William Tucker",
      "registry_url": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/register/christian-william-tucker/",
      "region": "Wellington",
      "district": "Wellington",
      "practice_areas": [],
      "register_status": "ok",
      "register_read": "2026-11-11"
    }
  ],
  "summary_url": "https://lawyerfinder.co.nz/api/firm/ford-sumner/summary.md",
  "as_of": "2026-11-12",
  "provenance": {
    "source": "New Zealand Law Society register (lawsociety.org.nz), mirrored by LawyerFinder NZ.",
    "authoritative_register": "https://www.lawsociety.org.nz/for-the-public/find-a-lawyer/",
    "methodology": "https://lawyerfinder.co.nz/about",
    "notes": "register_status is what the NZ Law Society register showed on register_read (\"ok\" or \"not-found\") — NOT a current good-standing check. Verify current status via registry_url. register_facts counts the entries we hold, not the firm headcount. LawyerFinder NZ is a directory and lead-generation service, not affiliated with the NZ Law Society; we do not provide legal advice."
  }
}