When you're unwell, you don't seek out a specialist right away - most of the time your GP is a great first port of call. But you don't see many general practice lawyers under 50 these days. A new lawyer's hardly a year out of law school, and they're already neck deep in obscure areas of practice like wet aircraft leasing or breaking little bits of big companies off and selling them to other big companies.
As a dedicated generalist, I work a lot like your GP. If your legal problem is common and straightforward, I’ll probably be able to give you some actionable advice right away. If your legal problem is really gnarly or risky then I can help you work out how to get the answers you need. And if you’ve got legal needs that traverse lots of different areas of law I can help you spot common threads and to tie everything together.
Most of my practice involves helping people solve everyday legal problems. That means things like:
- advising landlords on their responsibilities and helping tenants understand and enforce their rights;
- helping charities document sponsorship arrangements and register trademarks;
- helping subcontractors chase down dodgy head contractors who don’t pay their debts.
While I’m across the day-to-day issues my clients face, I’m also comfortable navigating unusual corners of the law. I’m good at finding angles other lawyers haven't, and have been described by the NZ Herald as both a "bughunter" and a "performance comedian whose stage is the Courts".
Some of my work is more complex. Some recent experience includes:
- New Zealand regulatory advice for an international life sciences company;
- legal planning for a multi-million dollar philanthropic gift;
- legal risk analysis for a novel construction product proposed to be sold in New Zealand;
- advising (as an in-house counsel) on a $100+ million government IT project and advising on the establishment of a trans-Tasman satellite-based augmentation network to improve the accuracy of GPS positioning.
I’m based in Wellington, but work across the motu. Additionally, I am available to take instructions in several off-the-beaten-path jurisdictions, including Pitcairn Island, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Antarctic Territory and the Astana International Financial Centre in Kazakhstan.
My hourly rate for New Zealand work is $400/h + GST. I do offer significant discounts for individuals, charities and start ups that would otherwise not be able to afford legal advice - to find out if you qualify, please get in touch.
As an access to justice initiative, I offer fixed-price consultations starting at $175. These consultations include up to an hour of lawyer time and are a great way to get to grips with a simple legal matter or to come up with an action plan for tackling a more complex or multidisciplinary issue.