PRLAW - Key Persons
From day dot, Angela's approach to her position as a lawyer has been to cut out all the legal jargon, remain approachable, and never leave a client having to read between the lines. Seeking legal counsel can appear to be a really gruelling process when you're looking from the outside in, when in fact, there's no need for it to be. When Angela meets with clients, she acts as a lawyer, but clients who have never reached out to one before wouldn't know it. Her goal is to make the experience as comfortable and as clear as possible for everyone who walks through her door - that's how she would want to be treated if she were in her client's shoes.
With an extensive knowledge of employment and family law, Angela's attraction to the field has been a result of wanting to help people with everyday issues. It's all about using common sense to come up with solutions to problems, and keeping clients in the loop and on the same page at every step of the journey. If she wasn't a lawyer, she would be a teacher, which she now puts into facilitating workshops and seminars for employers.
After starting in employment law in 2004 where she practiced for several years, she then made the jump to family law. A short stint in Australia working as a dairy farmer led her straight back to her roots in law where she has remained ever since. While she practiced primarily family law in Invercargill for several years, in between she joined the team at the Otago Southland Employers' Association, where she supported the Employer members in all areas employment law including facilitating their training programme around the Otago/Southland region on a regular basis.
Experience
Angela has previously worked in large and small-scale firms in Dunedin and Invercargill, including the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, ACC in elective surgery claims, Eagles Eagles and Redpath, and has most recently joined our team as an Associate at PRLaw.
She has also recently trained as a Collaborative Professional, does work for Agreeable, which is an Auckland-based organisation that offers online certification of Relationship Property Agreements, and is involved with the Invercargill Child Protection Resource Panel for Oranga Tamariki. In June 2023, she was appointed Counsel for Child.
When she isn't working, the past four years have been busy in her role as the President of the Old Boys' Football Club. She and her husband also have a four-year-old they adore and love to travel when they can. Family, friends and cooking are also all at the top of her list.
Expertise
Employment/Health and Safety
Job Titles:
- Director / Invercargill / Wyndham
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Invercargill
Anna is a Senior Associate in our Private Client Team.
She has recently returned home to Southland after spending the last decade practising property law in post-earthquake Christchurch.
Expertise
Anna specialises in succession planning, asset protection, and personal structuring. She advises on all trust matters, including the establishment, maintenance, and winding up of trusts. Her structuring practice includes assisting clients with relationship property agreements.
Anna has a particular interest in elder law issues, and enjoys assisting clients as they transition to a lifestyle or care facility. She regularly advises on the preparation of wills, and enduring powers of attorney, and can help guide clients through the administration of estates.
Anna is also experienced in residential property transactions and personal financing.
Job Titles:
- Personal Assistant
- Personal Assistant / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Law Clerk
- Law Clerk / Invercargill
Bjorn is a law clerk in our property team who deals with day to day property transactions. Bjorn travels regularly to Gore to connect with our Eastern Southland clients.
Bjorn has a particular interest in assisting First Home Buyers getting into their first home. His cheerful disposition allows Bjorn to make a strong bond with his clients, whom always receive his full attention no matter their background.
Bjorn focuses on getting his clients into their homes without any stress. This is where Bjorn's banking knowledge gives him an advantage, helping him ensure transactions are completed in a timely manner. So too does his down to earth approach, which makes the process seem far less daunting for his clients.
Being involved in a first home purchase is extremely rewarding for Bjorn. He revels in seeing his clients reacting to being told the keys to their new home are ready. He feels a real sense of achievement when he is able to deliver for his clients.
Away from the office Bjorn volunteers at Southland Disability Enterprises, organising functions for its workers. Being part of such an amazing organisation is rewarding and gives Bjorn so much satisfaction. He also cherishes spending time with his children, as well as listening to music and socialising with family and friends. With the great outdoors right on Southland's doorstep, Bjorn enjoys camping and watching the airways overhead.
"Bjorn is an absolute super star- so helpful and efficient, which is exactly what you need when dealing with what has the potential to be a very stressful situation. I would 100% recommend Bjorn to anyone looking at buying or selling a home." Anna-Lee 25/02/2021
Expertise
Property Law & First Home Buyers
Job Titles:
- Accounts Administrator / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Services Manager / Invercargill
Christine manages the day-to-day internal services of the firm, including IT, Marketing and HR.
Job Titles:
- Associate, Registered Legal Executive / Invercargill
For Ellen, no question is a silly question. That, unfortunately, is one of the biggest fears people have when it comes to reaching out to a law firm for support and advice - and it's the last thing she wants them to worry about. Being available and open to listening to any concerns or queries clients may have is critical in her role, and a responsibility she doesn't take lightly. When people ask her what a Registered Legal Executive (RLE) does, the way she describes it is as being somewhere between a personal assistant and a lawyer - she completes all the work that comes across her desk and a lawyer seals the deal by signing it off.
As an RLE, residential conveyancing - buying and selling houses - is where most of her time is spent, while preparing Property Law Act Notices, business sales and purchases, leases, wills and enduring power of attorney work, make up the rest. Ellen's dedication to her career has always been about helping people, the bonus is that no day is the same. The diversity of work that comes with being an RLE means every situation is different, and being able to adapt to that and deliver the best outcomes possible is a quality she's consistent at bringing to the table.
Ellen's career began in Dunedin as an office junior for Peter Churchman (now Justice Churchman), where she was encouraged to develop her career further and, interestingly as she'd enjoyed accountancy at school, some years later, enrolled at the University of Otago where she completed a Bachelor's Degree in Commerce. Halfway through, she decided she preferred law work, but finished her degree while working full-time and studying part-time.
Ellen also completed the higher level (now discontinued) Legal Executive Diploma that was offered through the University of Waikato in the early 2000s.
Experience
Born and bred in Dunedin, Ellen worked for Caudwells for 18 years before moving to Race & Douglas, then in 2015, moved to Invercargill to be with her partner. She became an associate at PRLaw three years ago and has been an invaluable addition to our team ever since.
An avid reader, she organises the PRLaw book club and is an executive on the Cycling Southland Board. When she's not in the office, her time is spent with family and friends, travelling whenever she can, and is lucky enough to have a holiday home in Arrowtown to escape to for a bit of downtime.
Expertise
Commercial Law
Job Titles:
- Registered Legal Executive / Invercargill / Te Anau
Erin is a Registered Legal Executive and works in our Property Law and Commercial Law teams.
She works out of our Te Anau office on the first Monday of each month.
Erin originally worked for Macalisters Lawyers, which she joined in 1988.
Erin is experienced in:
Trusts
Wills
Enduring Powers of Attorney
Commercial and general property issues
Outside of work, Erin enjoys rugby, travelling, and going boating and fishing with her husband.
Expertise
Property Law & First Home Buyers
Commercial Law
Job Titles:
- Personal Assistant
- Personal Assistant / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Director / Invercargill / Te Anau
When it comes to providing legal support, Greta has a general philosophy - she wants her clients to leave her office in a better situation than when they walked in. Being able to take a little weight off their shoulders, alleviate their stress levels and give them the reassurance they need to leave their issues in her hands is what it's all about. In her early career, Greta was a litigation lawyer and dealt primarily with family and estate conflicts. While she often delves into Crown prosecution work and employment law, she spends most of her work day representing the PRLaw Family Law and Estates team. However, if the works there, she's on to it.
Greta understands that many people avoid approaching a lawyer because they either hope the problem will go away or are too worried that it will get bigger. She explains it like this to her clients - it's a little bit like the dentist. If you've got a nasty toothache but you're too nervous to make a visit, it's only going to get worse. She firmly believes that it's far better to talk to someone and get advice than put your head in the sand. After all, the toll it takes is going to be far greater if you let it fester.
Resolving issues with minimal damage to her clients emotionally, physically and financially is the goal. Greta loves everything about families, which is what makes her so good at what she does. She gets that they are an interesting and complex dynamic, so sitting down with her clients, getting to know them and their needs, and talking them through the process step by step is the first move towards fixing the issue.
Experience
Born and raised on a sheep farm in rural Southland, Greta studied and completed her law degree at the University of Otago before moving to Timaru to practice law. It was there she gained extensive experience in multiple fields of law, and where she discovered her affection for family law.
A very community-oriented person, before re-settling in Southland, she was a member of the South Canterbury Rugby Board and coached gymnastics four days a week. The rest of her time is spent with her young family who keep her and her husband pretty busy.
Expertise
Family Law
Employment Law
Job Titles:
- Law Clerk
- Law Clerk / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Registered Legal Executive / Invercargill / Wyndham
Helen is a member of the Primary Industries team.
Helen enjoys working on complex farming transactions, including financing, restructuring and trusts.
Expertise
Rural Law
Property Law & First Home Buyers
Job Titles:
- Senior Solicitor / Invercargill
When it comes to meeting people where they are at, Henry doesn't want his clients to feel like they're talking to a lawyer. He gets that the process can seem pretty overwhelming if it's someone's first time needing legal support, so simplifying everything and bringing it back to basics is a big part of his approach. It's also really common for clients to come in and expect that they have to take on a whole lot of the heavy lifting, when in fact, that's what Henry is there to do.
His goal is to leave everyone who walks through his door better than they were before they met him, and to take the worry entirely out of that process. While he does quite a bit of trust and business-related legal work, Henry's speciality is in rural and residential conveyancing. Joining us straight from University, Henry is meticulous in everything he does and a great asset to have with us here at PRLaw.
Experience
Christchurch born and raised, Henry made the move down to the deep south to work with us at PRLaw, after completing his degree at the University of Canterbury. While he spent the first year putting his learnings into practice, he's since taken on a lot more responsibility and become an incredibly valuable member of our team. Outside of work, he's the treasurer of Southland New and Young Practitioners (NZLS), and in his downtime, can be found immersed in the outdoors and spear-fishing in Bluff.
Expertise
Commercial Law
Job Titles:
- Director / Winton / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Personal Assistant
- Team Administrator / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Invercargill
When dealing with employment issues, either as an employee or an employer, the prospect of reaching out for legal support may seem daunting. Katherine's approach is all about reassuring her clients that the process really isn't all that overwhelming - it just needs to start with a conversation. After all, her job is to look after you. This means providing a good quality service, sound, pragmatic advice, strong representation and quite simply, using a bit of common sense. Katherine is hands-on when it comes to working with employers to tailor the right approach, and providing advice and assistance from start to finish on a range of complex matters. At the same time, Katherine also enjoys assisting employees who find themselves facing various issues in the workplace and works with them to reach the best outcome for their circumstances. Picking up the phone and having a chat is all it takes to alleviate some of that stress, then the easy part is letting her figure out the next best steps for moving forward.
After finishing law school, Katherine worked in various roles outside of law before realising employment law was her passion. That first-hand life experience outside the law is what allows her to connect with clients on a more personal level and ultimately, get the best outcomes possible.
Experience
Katherine has been a part of the PRLaw team for the past 7 years where she has helped numerous clients as an employment/workplace lawyer, a role that also covers work around ACC, Health and Safety and Immigration.
Katherine also holds a certificate in workplace investigations from the Association of Workplace Investigators and Certificate Holders (AWI-CH), an internationally recognised qualification, and has experience in conducting and advising on investigations.
When she's not in the office, she is focusing on her young family but when time permits, enjoys reading, music, exercise, and catching up with friends and family.
Expertise
ACC Advocacy & Disputes
Employment/Health and Safety
Immigration
Job Titles:
- Registered Legal Executive / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Registered Legal Executive / Invercargill
Kerry Cox is a member of the Private Client team.
Kerry has been with the firm since 1990 and is a specialist in Estate Administration. Kerry has experience in:
Trusts
Wills
Enduring Powers of Attorney
Rest Home Subsidy applications
Commercial and general property issues
Conveyancing
She is a Fellow of the Legal Executive Institute of New Zealand.
Kerry is a keen track and road cyclist and mountainbiker.
Expertise
Estates, Trusts & Wills
Property Law & First Home Buyers
Job Titles:
- Law Graduate / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Registered Legal Executive / Invercargill
Lisa is a member of our Family Law, Property Relationships and Primary Industries teams
Job Titles:
- Registered Legal Executive / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Law Clerk
- Law Clerk / Winton
Job Titles:
- Debt Recovery Manager / Invercargill
Margaret is a Law Clerk who specialises in all forms of debt recovery and dispute resolution. She has worked for PRLaw since 1991, initially in the Commercial team, then in Litigation before moving into Debt Recovery in 2007.
Margaret has extensive knowledge of the debt recovery process including:
Demand letters to debtors
Obtaining judgements
Summary Judgement proceedings
Financial Assessment Applications
Liquidation proceedings
Bankruptcy proceedings
Charging Orders
Rating Sale proceedings
Expertise
Debt Recovery
Job Titles:
- Crown Solicitor and Director / Invercargill
- Litigation Director
Mary-Jane is a litigation director who leads the firm's employment practice. She is also the Crown Solicitor for Invercargill and has been prosecuting serious matters for more than 25 years. She is known for her frank advice and is someone who enjoys the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life.
Job Titles:
- Personal Assistant / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Senior Associate / Invercargill
If you're going to be teased by your colleagues for a personality trait, being detailed and particularly pedantic is not the worst of them. In fact, it's one of the most important characteristics a lawyer can have. When it comes to legal matters, having someone that is pragmatic and applies a fine-toothed comb to the finer details is a must. That's exactly how Mike operates. While some lawyers have tried their hand at a few different legal pathways before settling into their niche, Mike always knew he wanted to work in a courtroom. From day one, his work as a litigation solicitor has been centred around Crown prosecutions and family law, which often lends itself to relationship property. Whether he's working through a case where a family issue needs a resolution, property needs to be divided between parties, or he's presenting in front of a jury, his focus is solely on the issues and getting the best outcomes for whoever he is representing.
Experience
After completing his law degree, Mike moved straight into a role as a criminal and family lawyer in Christchurch (2017). With a desire to spend as much time in the courtroom as possible, when the opportunity to move to Invercargill came up, he lept at it. Thankfully for us, Mike has remained a key part of the PRLaw team since 2018.
Outside of work, he uses exercise to maintain a healthy balance and is itching to get back to traveling. He aims to visit one new place a year and soak up all the culture each place has to offer.
Expertise
Crown and associated prosecutions
Family Law
Expertise
Family & Relationship Property
Civil Dispute Litigation
Crown
Most people have a few ideas as a child about what they want to be when they grow up. Maybe it's a pilot, a firefighter or even a nurse, something you'd expect to hear from an 8-year-old. But not Olivia - she wanted to be a lawyer. She vividly remembers being that exact age, sitting at the dining table at her grandad's home when a family member asked her what she wanted to do for a career. While all the young boys in the family wanted to be rugby players, she was set, a lawyer it was.
Having that sense of advocacy has followed Olivia throughout her whole life, all the way up until law school and then into her current role as a Crown prosecutor. At university, she finished her honours in Art History before returning to her second year of law and although she was waylaid for a few years by working as a corporate lawyer in Queenstown, she leapt at the opportunity to take up a role as a criminal defense and private client lawyer when she returned home to Invercargill. Originally from Southland, she spent 5 years at a local firm before joining the team at PRlaw in August 2022.
Olivia understands that, more often than not, people need to approach a lawyer when they're in a tricky situation. But that doesn't mean the process needs to be any more difficult. While she has previously been focused on helping defendants understand the legal process, her drive now comes from a public safety perspective and ensuring that justice is served.
Experience
Olivia previously worked as a corporate lawyer in Queenstown, before taking up a role as a criminal defense and private client lawyer when she returned home to Invercargill. Originally from Southland, she spent 5 years at a local firm before joining the team at PRlaw in August 2022.
Heavily interested in art and art history, she plans to get involved in the growing arts community scene here in Invercargill and has a modest collection of modern works by New Zealand artists around her home. When she's not working, Olivia is a voracious reader and spends a lot of time getting out in nature with her husband and two French bulldogs
Expertise
Civil litigation
Commercial law
Relationship property
Property law
Expertise
Commercial Law
Job Titles:
- Law Graduate / Invercargill
In Rebecca's day-to-day work, there's nothing unusual about seeing a client walk into her office, proudly sporting their Red Bands after a hard day getting stuck in on the farm. Born and bred in Winton, where she is based, rural life and the legal requirements that come with that are second nature to her - which is precisely why she's such a trusted representative for her community. Let's just say, it's not uncommon for her to serve three generations of a family. Rebecca knows that running a farm is no small feat, so it's all about making legal support as accessible as possible to anyone who needs it.
As an expert in Private Client Law, she listens to her clients more than she talks, helps to put them at ease in stressful situations, and reassures them that there is always a way through. For her, it's about presenting people with everything they need in order to make informed decisions about the next steps. There's no doubt about it, Rebecca is a people person who relies on her experience, ability to get creative, and getting input from other advisors where necessary to achieve a solutions-focussed approach that just makes sense.
Experience
An asset to our team since 2010, Rebecca previously worked for the IRD dealing with matters of liquidation and bankruptcy, and practiced in Property Law at another local firm for five years prior to joining us. She puts her long-term dedication to PRLaw down to the variety of work that comes across her desk and the quality of the people and staff she's so grateful to be working with.
If she's not guiding her clients in the right direction, you can find Rebecca spending time with her husband and three children, getting out in the community, and meeting new people. She is the Board chair of St Thomas Aquinas School where her children attend, the Co-president of the local Winton Hockey Club, and a Director for the Central Southland Hospital Charitable Trust which operates the town's maternity home and medical centre.
Expertise
Rural and residential property matters
Asset protection and estate planning, including farm successions
Resolution of dairy industry disputes
Undertaking employment investigations
Rebecca joined us this year after working for us as a Summer Clerk.
She is a member of our Crown and Employment teams.
Expertise
Employment/Health and Safety
With both parents in the police force, Sam thought she would end up being a dectective. But after studying law at university, she realised that she could still help people and make a difference in their lives by becoming a lawyer.
Job Titles:
- Director / Invercargill
- Trustee for Southland One Stop Shop Trust
Sarah heads the firms Civil and Relationship Property teams working with clients that find themselves in a dispute situation and those entering into new relationships or ending relationships.
Experience
Throughout her lengthy career, Sarah has successfully negotiated many complex civil claims and relationship property settlements involving significant assets. Sarah recognises that when a relationship ends it is a difficult and stressful time for clients. Sarah has a pragmatic and sensible approach and aims to ensure that resolving any dispute is as stress free as possible for clients. Although Sarah makes every effort to settle disputes outside of court, this is not always possible. Sarah's considerable court experience is invaluable in these instances.
Expertise
Sarah has extensive litigation experience and expertise in criminal, civil and relationship property matters.
Sarah enjoys a variety of legal work and is also involved in rural property matters, makes regular appearances in both the District and High Courts as Crown Counsel on criminal matters, advises on employment matters and represents various government agencies, including the Invercargill City Council.
Sarah is a Trustee for Southland One Stop Shop Trust and Southern Dairy Development Trust. Sarah thoroughly enjoys these roles and getting involved with the community. Sarah has a longstanding interest in the horse-racing industry which was nurtured from an early age on the family farm.
Expertise
Debt Recovery
Rural Law
Family & Relationship Property
Property Law & First Home Buyers
Crown
Civil Dispute Litigation
Job Titles:
- Senior Solicitor / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- General Manager / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- Crown Administrator / Invercargill
Job Titles:
- AML Administrator / Invercargill