My areas of Expertise

Specialist Practice Areas

Industry Expertise

What I like about my work

I enjoy being involved in my clients’ businesses and the creativity required in the early stages of deals. It’s great to start with a blank sheet of paper and then brainstorm strategies and structures with my clients, which result in successful outcomes.  I really love being busy, especially on challenging work.

What I’ve done in the past

I decided I wanted to be a commercial lawyer when I was 11!  Maths was my strongest subject at school and so I combined an accounting degree with my LLB.  I started out tutoring accounting and marking accounting exams at the University of Otago. But academia wasn’t for me, and I began practice as a commercial lawyer after travelling overseas.  I use my accounting knowledge every day in the work I do.

I joined Anderson Lloyd as a partner in 2001, after 12 years as a partner in another firm.

My approach to working with my clients

The clients I most enjoy working with are those with whom I have built a close, ongoing relationship. I like meeting with my clients when they have a goal in mind and want some help to work out how to get there. Hopefully being involved in those early discussions allows me to bring some added payback to the project or transaction.

My job is to get the result clients want, when they want it. I always try to bring something to the deal beyond what they’ve thought of themselves. I recognise that getting the commercial outcome is key and that the law needs to work for the deal rather than the other way around.

Perhaps I have a low threshhold to boredom, because i like client demands that are challenging to meet.

What I enjoy at work

After all these years I am still passionate about commercial law and business.  And my work is as much about business as law. I enjoy turning up to work every day and helping clients and staff to achieve their goals.

The people I work with are great – they have some fantastic skills and strengths. I also really like the entrepreneurial nature of my clients and what they do. I get a buzz out of others getting a buzz.

What I enjoy outside of work

I am a collector of big boys toys, including motorbikes, cars, boats and an assortment of slightly out-there records from the 1960s and 70s. I also enjoy skiing, travelling, and wine (but not while riding my bikes!).

I am a bit selfish about spending weekend time with my kids - after all, that is a South Island thing.

What I enjoy about living in the South Island

I just love the place – Queenstown, Southland and Otago and the South Island as a whole. I like the down-to-earth people and the business opportunities. It’s amazing how many entrepreneurial people there are in the South who stay below the radar and work in the most unexpected industries.

Work highlights

I headed up the structuring of Jacks Point, a large, innovative private town. This was a unique project with so many interesting issues. Our team was able to help our client to achieve their objectives on time.

I’ve seen Fiordland Lobster Company grow from a start-up through to a highly successful trading company and New Zealand’s largest crayfish exporter.  I sit on the Board.  It’s been really rewarding to see strategies, that I have helped to develop succeed. The Fiordland Lobster team is a great bunch of people and I really enjoy working with them.