George Sainsbury commenced practice in Napier in 1875. He was joined in partnership in 1882 by Francis Logan and in 1900 by Edward Williams. The firm’s present title was first used in 1900 and has been retained ever since.
The firm has always practised from its present site on the corner of Tennyson Street and Cathedral Lane with the exception of a few months when the building was restored in Art Deco style by Architects Finch and Westerholm following the 1931 Hawke’s Bay earthquake.
The firm presently has 8 partners. Stephen Greer joined the partnership in 1984, Andrew Wares in 1996, Adrian Barclay in 2003 and Nathan Gray in 2005. Lara Blomfield, Lauren Hibberd and Lincoln Reid in 2013 and Jonathan Norman in 2019.
Magnus Macfarlane and Gerry Sullivan retired from the firm in 2019.