---
title: "Atkinson Crehan vs Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers: Which is more popular in New Zealand?"
description: "Is Atkinson Crehan or Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Nelson law firms set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time."
canonical: "https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/atkinson-crehan-vs-vanderwerff-shaw-lawyers"
publisher: "Brandwave"
---

# Atkinson Crehan vs Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers: Which is more popular in New Zealand?

Is Atkinson Crehan or Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers more popular in search? Compare estimated monthly branded-search demand and Share of Search inside the Nelson law firms set in New Zealand. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.

## Key facts

- **Compared**: Atkinson Crehan and Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers
- **Competitive set**: Nelson law firms
- **Market**: New Zealand
- **Month measured**: Oct 2026
- **Atkinson Crehan Share of Search**: 8%
- **Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers Share of Search**: 2%

## Is Atkinson Crehan or Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers more popular in search?

- In October 2026, Atkinson Crehan had more branded searches than Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers among Nelson law firms in New Zealand. Atkinson Crehan had about 40 branded searches, while Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers had 10. Atkinson Crehan made up 8% of all Nelson law firm searches we track, and Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers accounted for 2%.
- Atkinson Crehan was ahead of Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers in every measured month of the 12 months ending October 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Atkinson Crehan’s share of searches among Nelson law firms in New Zealand moved from 13.8% to 8%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90 to 40.
- Across the 12 months ending October 2026, Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers’ share of searches among Nelson law firms in New Zealand moved from 1.5% to 2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 10.

## Top Nelson law firms in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers appeared in all three answers. Atkinson Crehan was mentioned in one out of three: in one of the three ChatGPT answers. Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers was listed before Atkinson Crehan in two out of three answers.

Brands get a higher AI rank if they are mentioned earlier in the answers that list options.

| Brand | AI rank | ChatGPT answers that named it | All answers that named it |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| C & F Legal | 1st | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Stallard Law | 2nd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers | 3rd | 3 of 3 | 3 of 3 |
| Hamish Fletcher Lawyers | 4th | 2 of 3 | 2 of 3 |
| Atkinson Crehan | 5th | 1 of 3 | 1 of 3 |
| Glasgow Harley | Not ranked | 0 of 3 | 0 of 3 |

## Every AI answer about Nelson law firms

- Asked ChatGPT "Which law firm should I hire in Nelson, New Zealand?": 1. C & F Legal, 2. Stallard Law, 3. Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers, 4. Hamish Fletcher Lawyers
- Asked ChatGPT "What are the best law firms in Nelson, New Zealand?": 1. C & F Legal, 2. Stallard Law, 3. Atkinson Crehan, 4. Hamish Fletcher Lawyers, 5. Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers
- Asked ChatGPT "What's the best law firm in Nelson, New Zealand for legal advice?": 1. C & F Legal, 2. Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers, 3. Stallard Law

Not named in any answer: Glasgow Harley.

Brands are listed in the order each answer named them. The answers were collected in New Zealand on October 21, 2026.

## How did search popularity change for New Zealand Nelson law firms in October 2026?

- Estimated monthly branded searches for Atkinson Crehan in New Zealand fell 55.6% over 12 measured months, from 90 to 40 in October 2026.

## How has branded search for Atkinson Crehan and Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers changed in New Zealand over the last 12 months?

| Month | Atkinson Crehan estimated searches | Atkinson Crehan Share of Search | Atkinson Crehan rank | Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers estimated searches | Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers Share of Search | Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers rank |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nov 2025 | 90 | 13.8% | 4 | 10 | 1.5% | 6 |
| Dec 2025 | 60 | 11.3% | 5 | 0 | 0% | 6 |
| Jan 2026 | 70 | 11.5% | 4 | 10 | 1.6% | 6 |
| Feb 2026 | 50 | 9.3% | 5 | 0 | 0% | 6 |
| Mar 2026 | 80 | 11.3% | 5 | 10 | 1.4% | 6 |
| Apr 2026 | 50 | 9.6% | 5 | 10 | 1.9% | 6 |
| May 2026 | 50 | 9.8% | 5 | 10 | 2% | 6 |
| Jun 2026 | 50 | 8.5% | 5 | 0 | 0% | 6 |
| Jul 2026 | 40 | 6.7% | 5 | 0 | 0% | 6 |
| Aug 2026 | 40 | 6.6% | 5 | 10 | 1.6% | 6 |
| Sep 2026 | 50 | 7.8% | 5 | 10 | 1.6% | 6 |
| Oct 2026 | 40 | 8% | 5 | 10 | 2% | 6 |

## How are Atkinson Crehan’s and Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers’ branded searches counted?

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Atkinson Crehan’s and Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

- **Atkinson Crehan**: Measured on the search terms “atkinson crehan” and “atkinson crehan law”, summed into one figure.
- **Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers**: Measured on the search term “vanderwerff shaw”.

- [Atkinson Crehan profile](/demand/nz/brands/atkinson-crehan)
- [Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers profile](/demand/nz/brands/vanderwerff-shaw-lawyers)
- [All Nelson law firms in New Zealand](/demand/nz/locations/nelson/law-firms): The set both shares are measured inside, 6 brands.

## Methodology

- [How is the Brand Demand Index measured?](/demand/methodology): Where the figures come from, what they compare, and how they may be reused.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Atkinson Crehan or Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers more popular in search?

In October 2026, Atkinson Crehan had more branded searches than Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers among Nelson law firms in New Zealand. Atkinson Crehan had about 40 branded searches, while Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers had 10. Atkinson Crehan made up 8% of all Nelson law firm searches we track, and Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers accounted for 2%.

## Cite this page

Brandwave. "Atkinson Crehan vs Vanderwerff Shaw Lawyers: Which is more popular in New Zealand?". https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/atkinson-crehan-vs-vanderwerff-shaw-lawyers

This page is also available as HTML at https://gobrandwave.com/demand/nz/compare/atkinson-crehan-vs-vanderwerff-shaw-lawyers. Brandwave publishes an index of its Markdown pages at https://gobrandwave.com/llms.txt.
