Philip Hall

Spear’s Review

Philip Hall moved to Britain from New Zealand in 2007. Since then his career has revolved around strategic communications – first at Finsbury and then as a managing director at Portland, where he led the firm’s disputes team and its private client offering.

In 2024 he launched his own boutique firm, Thorndon Partners, which focuses on litigation, disputes and strategic communications for international organisations and HNWs.

Hall, a specialist in litigation comms and crisis management, says his HNW clients often arrive ‘when something has gone terribly wrong’. ‘Lawyers now know that strategic comms – not just reputation work – is an essential part of managing the issues that private clients face,’ he explains.