Meet the Team

Geoff’s speciality is rural law and he has built up an extensive knowledge in the areas of farm conveyancing, company and trust structures for farm ownership and estate planning for farmers.

Geoff also has considerable experience in all residential and commercial conveyancing areas and the formation and administration of family trusts.

Geoff is the Chairman of the Inglewood Development Trust, an honorary solicitor to Taranaki Golf Association and solicitor to many local sporting organisations and schools.

Geoff is a keen golfer and enjoys fishing, tennis, rugby and cricket.

Paul has for many years acted for large corporates regionally, nationally and internationally. He has developed a particular expertise in the energy sector providing legal support and advice to oil and gas companies in New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia.

He is a member of the New Zealand Chapter of the Association of International Petroleum Negotiators.

He has provided primary legal support for Port Taranaki, Taranaki District Health Board and Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki for over 20 years. He also acts for the innovative and entrepreneurial Macfarlane Group.

Paul has in recent years been involved in a variety of projects including:

• Being lead legal provider in joint venture and shared services agreements with oil and gas companies for support vessels and helicopter services
• Providing day to day legal support for an oil and gas exploration and production company operating a large offshore project in the Taranaki basin, on-shore projects in Western Australia and drilling explorations in Indonesia
• Establishing and developing a statutory compliance regime with a large insurance company for use by organisations within the tertiary education and health sectors and several ports throughout New Zealand
• Presenting at national conferences in respect of topics such as risk management, the changing face of rural law, the National Horticulture Sector on succession planning, the health sector on risks and responsibilities of rest home providers and the New Zealand Law Society Resource Management intensive on the oil and gas legislative interface.

Paul is an Honorary Life Member of the Taranaki Cancer Society, having been the President for a number of years and a former Chairman of the Relay for Life Committee. Paul is a former President of Taranaki Marriage Guidance (now Relationship Services) and was a Trustee of the Taranaki Velodrome Trust, which has brought to Taranaki a state of the art Cycle Park incorporating a road circuit and velodrome.

Paul enjoys cycling, golf, going to the gym and spending time with family.

Paul has extensive experience in a wide range of commercial matters and sectors. These include financing, tax, leasing, joint ventures, documenting trading relationships, major asset purchases, service contracts and effective structuring.

Advice to corporate clients includes novel and uncharted areas providing an opportunity to create tailor made solutions.

Paul is called on often to provide governance advice to corporate and commercial clients.

Paul has spent many years working with the technology clients of the firm from early internet pioneers through to a diverse range of current entrepreneurs. This has included establishment advice, setting trading terms, resolving licensing and structuring arrangements, developing joint venture relationships, and has extended through to the ultimate sale by the founders to a third party.

Paul is a trustee of the Atawhai Industries Trust and a past trustee on the Omata School Board. Paul is also a Trustee of the Taranaki FM Trust which operates The Most FM.

Paul has wide-ranging experinece in all aspects of family law, including; relationship property, parenting orders, relocation cases, spousal maintenance, claims against family Trusts, pre-nuptial agreements, and is regularly appointed by the Family Court. 

Paul has vast experience in Family Court litigation and is regularly acting for clients in Auckland and through the North Island, as well as in Taranaki. 

Paul is a trustee of the Taranaki branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters, which is an international charity that organises adult mentors to guide young people who are at risk. Paul is also a trustee of the Te Puna Trust which has introduced the 'Early Start' programme to Taranaki, and is a member of the New Plymouth Boys' High School Board of Trustees.

Paul enjoys all sport, particularly rugby, cricket and golf. Paul is married to Laurie and has three children.

Andrew specialises in criminal, civil and employment litigation.  He has appeared in over 200 District and High Court jury trials acting for both the Crown and the defence in respect of criminal and civil matters.  Andrew has also appeared in the Supremem Court and has represented a number of clients in the Court of Appeal.

Andrew regularly appears in the Employment Relations Authority for both mediations and investigations. Over the last fifteen years Andrew has developed an extensive employment law practice and acts for a number of large corporate clients providing advice on issues such as human resource needs, restructuring and disciplinary issues.  Andrew also leads a number of seminars on employment related issues throughout Taranaki.

Andrew also appears in other jurisdictions including the Employment Court, Refugee Status Appeal Authority, Human Rights Review Tribunal, the Motor Vehicle Dealers Licensing Board and the Environment Court.

When away from the office Andrew enjoys running, skiing, surfing and going to the gym.  Andrew is married with three children.

With over 12 years experience in civil and domestic litigation, Alex is experienced in resolving issues for clients in a wider range of areas. Alex is a confident and formidable advocate and has a reputation for taking on some of the most difficult cases and achieving excellent results. He regularly appears in the District, Family and High Courts. 

Alex leads the Family team with Paul Shearer and heads the firms Iwi and post settlement team.

Alex is married to Kate and they have three children. Participting in social sports, attending local events and arts and culture is an important part of Alex's world.

Alex is of Atihaunui a Paparangi, Tuwharetoa, Ngati Rangi, Ngai Tumapuhia Rangi, and Ngai Tahu decent.

Lauren is a highly respected lawyer, specialising in environmental and local government law, construction law and civil litigation.
 
Lauren has been involved in a variety of environmental and local government matters throughout her career. She has a broad client base and acts for local and regional authorities, individuals and families, national corporations, local businesses, iwi and PSGE, and community organisations. Her key areas of practice include:

-     assisting to draft and provide advice on district and regional plan provisions; 
-     project management of resource consent projects, including;
-     with respect to large residential and coastal subdivisions; commercial developments and industrial facilities;
-     minerals and petroleum development, including assisting to obtain consents for offshore installations in the coastal marine area and EEZ and with respect to access arrangements and iwi consultation; 
-     acting for affected parties in opposition to consent applications;
-     advising on all aspects of the Resource Management Act and Local Government Acts; 
-     assisting iwi to development environmental plans, strategies and guidelines;
-     assisting developer clients to formulate and implement consultation strategies;
-     appearances and advice with respect to Council Hearings, Environment Court
-     appearances and advice with respect to High Court and Board of Inquiry processes;
-     prosecution and enforcement; and
-     assisting to draft and providing advice on local government policies and bylaws, including;
-     Local Alcohol  Policies, Gambling Policies and Development Contribution Policies

Lauren also regularly acts for our construction clients and has considerable experience in building law and with respect to construction contract disputes and weathertight homes claims.
 
Lauren’s civil litigation experience includes appearances in the District Court and High Court involving a range of contractual disputes, lease and property disputes, debt recovery, and judicial review proceedings. She is a skilled negotiator and enjoys helping clients to find the best solutions possible to resolve disputes quickly and cost effectively. 

Lauren is the founding member of the Taranaki branch of the Resource Management Law Association (and past president and secretary) and the honorary solicitor of the Friends of the Govett Brewster/Len Lye Centre and of Heritage Taranaki Incorporated.

Lauren enjoys running, mountain biking, skiing and travel but generally spends most of her spare time as Mum to her young sons. She is a keen supporter of the arts and New Zealand music and a self-confessed "foodie". 

Alice currently leads the private client team. Prior to this she specialised in commercial and property work within the oil and gas industry. 

• Providing legal support and advice to oil and gas companies in New Zealand and Australia in relation to:
  • acquisition of land and property rights;
  • review of various contracts including MSAs, supply agreements, rig services and manning contracts;
  • negotiation and preparation of access and easement agreements
• Secondments at Origin Energy, Todd Energy and First Gas
• Assisting commercial clients with leasing, commercial property sale and purchases, shareholder and partnership agreements
• Assisting farming clients with buying and selling farms, rural leases and succession planning

Alice is a board member of both Sports Taranaki and the Taranaki Hockey Federation. She is also a member of the Nga Manu Reo Toastmasters club.

Alice enjoys spending her spare time with family and friends, appreciates good food and keeps fit by running and playing hockey.

Lyal’s focus is the strategic vision of Govett Quilliam.  His role includes the development and implementation of Govett Quilliam’s strategic plan to ensure that our clients continue to receive the very best level of service and advice.  He will be responsible for implementing progressive and innovative strategies to grow and develop our firm in new opportunities and markets.

Lyal’s experience as a leader in education brings to Govett Quilliam strong guidance and management skills, as well as the ability to work with individuals on personal development.

In his spare time Lyal enjoys sports, cultural activities and being with family and friends.  He tries to keep fit  by walking, cycling and golfing.

Kaye is a member of our family team and is experienced in all aspects of family law and the law relating to the protection of personal and property rights, including;

• Adoptions;
• Parenting Orders for day to day care and contact;
• Relocation of children;
• Relationship property matters;
• Applications for appointment of Welfare Guardians and Property Managers;
• Family Protection claims.

Kaye's special interest is in the law relating to children. She is regularly appointed as senior lawyer to represent children or as lawyer to assist the Court in Family Court disputes and matters involving Child, Youth and Family Services.

Kaye has presented papers at seminars and written submissions relating to proposed government legislation in a number of areas of family law.

Kaye has been involved with a number of community based organisations and currently is a trustee of the Taranaki Family/Whanau Centre Trust and a member of the Clinical Ethics Advisory Group (Taranaki District Health Board).

Caroline has a commercial law background and has worked in the upstream oil and gas industry for the last 7 years. She was involved in the review of the Crown Minerals Act regime in her role as legal advisor to Crown Minerals (now New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals) and has worked as in-house counsel for a large oil and gas exploration and production company. She is now a consultant specialising in regulation and policy in the upstream oil and gas industry.

Caroline is a Director of Totum Limited, a company she founded to develop a permit management and compliance tool for petroleum permit operators in New Zealand.

Caroline enjoys art, fashion and music and getting creative with her daughter in her spare time.

In 2012 she gained her Legal Executive Diploma which was a great achievement studying while bringing up two children.

Now that her children are older and independent she enjoys "me time" in her gardens, walking, travelling and spending time with her family and friends.

She has also joined Canine Friends and now takes her dog Storm for weekly visits to Marinoto Rest Home in Inglewood where he gets heaps of pats and cuddles with the residents.

Debbie’s extensive Word knowledge has led to her becoming our ‘go to’ person for Word issues and training.  

Debbie also utilises her Bachelor of Education to assist a wide range of staff with their training needs.  

Debbie is detail focused and organised, helping to keep the team running smoothly and producing professional documents for clients and court probate applications.  

Her thirst for knowledge and how things work aids her problem solving abilities – new software is a challenge Debbie enjoys getting the better of.

Client contact, particularly by phone, is an area Debbie enjoys and she is happy to help you make contact with the people who can assist you with your legal needs.  

Debbie is a farmer’s daughter, born and raised in Huirangi where she currently resides.  In fact, she loves Huirangi so much, she was Secretary/Treasurer of the Huirangi Cemetery Board for ten years, carrying on the Osborne tradition.  She also has two nephews (hopefully three one day) who attend Huirangi School.  Family roots are at the heart of all Debbie does.  

 

Heather is our client floor manager and receptionist. As well as providing all our clients with a warm greeting, her role also includes general accounting and trust administration duties, managing our deeds, undertaking title searches, and organising client functions. 

Heather values the ‘Client First’ philosophy at GQ and enjoys having a good relationship with clients and staff.

Heather enjoys helping out her family and grandchildren as well as doing voluntary work for the TSB Showplace and New Plymouth Event Venues.

Julie has worked primarily as a Personal Assistant to Geoff Shearer in our Inglewood Office, which keeps her busy and engaged. 

For many years Julie was very involved in the sport of marching with many Taranaki and National titles being achieved by the teams she coached.  Since retiring from the sport she now has more time for travel, reading, watching sport and has recently taken up knitting.

Karen has extensive knowledge regarding conveyancing, refinancing and generally assisting private clients regarding their on-going needs.

Karen has a large loyal client base and many of her clients are generational with the children of her original clients now seeking her legal expertise.

Karen has been involved with trusts, asset protection,  Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney.
Buying and selling of farm properties is also an area that Karen enjoys.

Over the years Karen has been involved with subdivisions and works closely with clients to
achieve their goals within the timeframes required.

Karen has two sons who have semi flown the nest (maybe not so financially) so she has more time to spend on her own pursuits. She enjoys visiting the wonderful places Taranaki has to offer and one of the highlights of each year is visiting the various gardens in the Garden Spectacular.

Prior to joining GQ Blair specialised as a litigation lawyer in Australia in relation to trustee, estate and insolvency issues, farming and property related disputes.
Blair also enjoyed a successful career prior to working as a lawyer in private practice. This includes 

• Advising the boards of Australian banks, accounting firms, financial advisers and superannuation funds including Australian Super (FUM of $100billion) in relation to director, professional negligence and trustee liability and insurance
• Presenting for the Australian Superannuation Funds Association and Australian Institute of Company Directors on trustee and director risk and insurance
• Working as a financial institutions broker at Lloyds of London during the 2008 financial crisis at the request of Aon Australia
• Owning and operating an ANZ mortgage solutions franchise
• Achieving qualifications in Bachelor of Business (Banking & Finance) and a Diploma of Financial Services (ANZIIF) in addition to law qualifications

Legal services provided by Blair at GQ include

• trust formation, administration and trustee advice
• wills, powers of attorney and deceased estate administration
• advice on rest home and retirement villages
• banking, financial, insurance and investment matters

 
Blair is determined in achieving results for his clients and is practical and innovative.

Blair is married with 3 children. His wife is a born and bred Taranaki girl and they have recently moved to New Plymouth to be with the family and enjoy the fabulous Taranaki lifestyle.
Blair also enjoys tennis, cycling and playing the saxophone.

Brad acts on a wide range of conveyancing and property transactions, subdivisions as well as trusts and asset protection.

Brad has developed an expertise in easements and eDealings.

Outside of the office, Brad enjoys golf, cycling and keeping fit.

Sandy works as a legal executive in the Inglewood office and undertakes a large portion of the conveyancing generated through that office.  She is also responsible for and extremely competent in all aspects of sub-divisional work including drafting of easements and land covenants and is experienced with all matters relating to e-dealing and working with Land Information New Zealand to achieve outcomes beneficial to her clients.

She also has a keen interest in elder law and is responsible for estate administration at the Inglewood office.  

Sandy enjoys her grandchildren, the outdoors, travel and dancing (all genres but mainly ceroc and ballroom).  

As a dairy farmer herself, Margaret has experience in hands on dairying as well as legal issues concerning farmers.

Margaret has also dealt and continues to deal with farmers negotiating with oil companies, buying and selling dairy farms, residential property matters, wills, trusts, commercial business sales and trusts. Margaret has a good relationship with many outside organisations. Her range of skills also extends to editorship of a Govett Quilliam specialist newsletter, that is sent to our rural clients.

Margaret has five children and is activley involved in the PTA at Sacred Heart Girls' College New Plymouth. Margaret is also involved with dancing Taranaki, having two daughters doing ballet and jazz, as well as being actively involved in the St Josephs Church community in New Plymouth.

Margaret enjoys ballet, farming and spending time with her family.

Chris has wide-ranging experience in all property matters (drawn from her many years of working in the rural and residential sector and more latterly , in the oil and gas sector).  Her  skills include:

• development of Property Interest  Databases for our Oil and Gas clients
• Oil and gas pipeline easement and land access work;
• property due diligence investigations
• complex subdivision work (including large multi-lot residential developments)
• complex commercial transactional work

Chris enjoys spending time with her family and working in her large country garden.  Chris also has a keen interest in information technology and is currently completing papers  through Massey University to extend her knowledge in this area, and to  compliment her work in developing databases.

 

Fleur qualified as a Registered Legal Executive in 2012 after completing the NZLS Legal Executive Diploma.

She has spent all her time at Govett Quilliam working closely with families who have lost their loved ones and assisting them with the administration of the estates.  Fleur has great knowledge of the estate administration process and what is required to tidy up a persons affairs after their passing.

Fleur also has extensive knowledge of Enduring Powers of Attorney and is experienced in preparing Wills for clients to ensure their wishes are carried out.  

She has good understanding of what is required when clients are considering entering Retirement Villages and is happy to assist with the explanations involved with signing Occupation Licences.

Fleur also has experience in conveyancing and looks after residential sale and purchases for her clients.

Fleur is the President of the New Plymouth Repertory Society.

Fleur enjoys theatre, both on stage and as a director. She also enjoys travel and spending time with her family.

Karen is passionate about her work and enjoys giving invaluable support to the team of family law specialists within the firm.  Karen really enjoys that her job involves interaction with people.  She finds it rewarding to be able to assist people in an area of life than can sometimes be difficult for them, and is often the first line of contact with new clients requiring family law assistance.

In her spare time Karen loves spending time at the beach and outdoors, she enjoys exploring the great walking tracks that Taranaki has to offer, ocean swimming and socialising with her family and friends.

Suzanne specialises in conveyancing and commercial work, and in particular the area of residential conveyancing and refinancing matters.

Suzanne's experience includes:

• Residential sale and purchases;
• Rural sale and purchases;
• Refinancing;
• Change of trustees;
• Small subdivisions.

Suzanne enjoys spending time with family, travelling, learning the guitar and keeping fit.

She supports the Legal Executives throughout the sale/purchase process (by preparing Agreements for Sale and Purchase and other documentation required for buying and selling properties, carrying out property searches, and liaising with and preparing correspondence for clients) and in the handling of estates (by preparing Probate/Letters of Administration documents for the High Court).  She assists in preparing Wills and Enduring Powers of Attorney. As part of her work in the area of commercial law, Kirsten assists Paul in drawing up contracts, drafting deeds and advice, and liaising with clients.

Whilst this is a new career for Kirsten, who has spent over 10 years in teaching and management roles within Education, the field of law is one she is familiar with having studied Law and German Law at University in the UK and in Germany.

Kirsten’s young family keeps her busy outside the office, as well as getting to know her new home, Taranaki.

Weekends are spent enjoying all that New Plymouth and the surrounding areas have to offer, and making the most of the outdoors and the sunshine, when it appears! Apparently it rains just as much here as in the UK although she says the sunshine is definitely a few degrees warmer.  Kirsten enjoys playing squash and doing Pilates. She is an avid skier and looks forward to testing out the local and national ski fields in the years to come.

Laura completed a Certificate in Business at WITT last year which included papers in Business Communication, Computing, Commercial Law, Organisation and Management and Accounting.

 

In her spare time she does a lot of reading and spends time with family including camping out at Urenui beach. She also enjoys swimming and walking along the coastal walkway, as well as photography and painting.

Her role as an Administrator covers various jobs around the office including reception duties, deeds, banking and dictation. 

Lea spends a lot of her spare time with her family and friends. She loves to be out and about and active. She also enjoys reading and is a huge Warriors fan (even when times are tough…)

Sophie is responsible for managing Govett Quilliam's capability to innovate and make the most of opportunities, from a technology, functionality, skills and cultural perspective. She is a strong advocate for engaging with the team to ensure innovation becomes a cultural mind-set.

Sophie has two children, Isabella and Theo, and leads a busy and active lifestyle with a keen interest in ocean swimming, boxing and running.

She also has a strong community spirit with involvement in youth programmes such as Accelerator, Big Brothers Big Sisters and student exchanges.

Peter is responsible for managing Govett Quilliam's Administration and Information Technology. He is a strong advocate for continuous improvement especially through innovation and automation. He enjoys the collegial and supportive team environment at Govett Quilliam.

Peter leads an active and healthy lifestyle with his main physical activities being running, swimming (Flannagan Cup), gym, dancing and yoga.

He has also been a volunteer for a number of local organisations over recent years and enjoys giving back to the community and helping make our community a great place to live.

Linda is responsible for reviewing client Trusts annually. Govett Quilliam takes its obligations as Independent Trustee for its Trusts very seriously. Reviewing the Trusts annually ensures that our clients receive the best level of advice and service.

Keeping fit is something that Linda enjoys, this includes going for walks and the gym. Living on a lifestyle property also keeps her very busy and allows her to enjoy time in the garden with her animals. She loves baking and cooking.

 She is a Personal Assistant and provides secretarial support for Paul Franklin, Chris de Ridder and Will Downey.

Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her two grand-babies Eden and Hamish.

She also enjoys spending time with the new addition to her family, Teddy rose, a black miniature Poodle. 

Lorraine is a keen gardener and enjoys sewing, knitting and cross stitching.

She has a wealth of accumulated knowledge that she uses every day in her Personal Assistant role with the Dispute Resolution, Employment, Resource Management and Family Teams here at Govett Quilliam.

She enjoys her job and is always approachable and personable.  She takes pride in her work, appreciates and respects the people she works with, and is quick to participate in office banter.

Outside of work Maree lives on a farm property with her family and is always striving for the elusive “work-life-me balance”.  
 

Megan has ten years experience in operating a Solicitor’s Trust Account. She was also the second in charge to the Office Manager at a different New Plymouth law firm.

Megan has had previous roles in the Insurance Industry and as a Recruitment Consultant but after a few years of doing these roles she has returned to being a Solicitor’s Trust Account Administrator.

Megan’s partner and teenage son are very much into cars, so she finds herself at many motorsport/drag racing/speedway events around the country. She also enjoys taking her two dogs for walks.

Paula currently supports Alice Tocher, Margaret Steiner-Joyce, Suzanne Duke and Kirsty Miller.  Paula has worked in a variety of different industries and brings to the team experience in operations, project management, office management as well as an executive assistant.

In her spare time Paula enjoys renovating old houses.

Rachel provides administrative support to the Family Team and has a wealth of experience in all aspects of family law file management. 

Outside of GQ she is kept busy with her two boys, she enjoys getting out in the garden, walking the dog and playing netball.  She has been a coach/committee member with North Taranaki Special Olympics for the last 20 years.

Maria is a senior corporate solicitor in our corporate and energy teams and provides an extensive range of legal services including: energy, oil and gas, FinTech, intellectual property, mergers and acquisitions, financial regulation, regulatory compliance, technology, telecoms, public law, IT, franchise agreements, and corporate advisory.

Maria is an internationally recognised expert in space law, and she is the official legal adviser on space law to the Royal Astronomical Society in New Zealand.  Maria’s expertise extends to the law of Drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) and cybersecurity (including cryptocurrencies and block chain).  Maria course coordinates and teaches INTP 201 cybersecurity and teaches international  relations INTP 113 at the School of History, Philosophy, Political Science and International Relations, University of Victoria, Wellington.

Maria is well known and regarded for her strategic legal advice and ability to offer outside of the box solutions for her clients.  Recognised as a skilled lawyer, Maria was announced as a Finalist for the 2017 Young Private Practitioner Award at the New Zealand Law Awards.  AI Global Magazine has referred to her as the New Zealand Woman in Law to Watch. 

Maria probably wouldn't tell you this, but we will...  she has been the recipient of a number of prestigious awards including:
•           Appreciation Award by the Disability, Information and Support Unit at the University of Otago
•           Inter-Pacific Bar Association Scholar;
•           Peace and Disarmament Education Trust Award;
•           New Zealand Political Studies Association Projects Awards;
•           Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Historical Research Grant;
•           Visiting Lauterpacht Fellowship at the Lauterpacht Centre for International Law, University of Cambridge, UK; and....a huge list of other awards and travel grants.
 
Maria’s experience overseas is also noteworthy and among others includes:  volunteer work in Materi – Kenya; and, internship with two separate law firms in Huntsville –Texas working on death row cases. 
 
Maria likes to publish work in various journals and has contributed many book chapters across many disciplines.  She also likes to get involved in the legal community and she has been a Member of the Canterbury-Westland Law Society Branch Council as well as the Canterbury-Westland Law Society Trusts Committee.  Her commitment to greater access to legal advice has seen Maria as a volunteer lawyer for the Citizens Advice Bureau. 
 
 

In her spare time, Maria likes to tour around on her motorbike, play mum to her cat, she especially likes to go to the gym and pretend to do a work out (you will probably find her in the sauna reading or at the juice bar making friends), and watching the rugby, golf or cricket.

Laurie is a respected member of the Taranaki family bar.  Laurie has experience in all areas of family law, including parenting orders for day to day care and contact, protection and occupation orders, spousal maintenance, dissolution of marriage, applications under the PPPR Act for welfare guardian and property manager orders, preparation and administration of trusts and relationship property division.
 
Laurie is regularly appointed by the Ministry of Justice as lawyer for the child in parenting disputes in proceedings involving the Care of Children Act 2004 and the Oranga Tamariki Act 1989.  

Laurie has been a past member of the Fitzroy kindergarten committee and is a current friend of Fitzroy School. 
 
Laurie is married with three busy children.  Laurie enjoys spending quality time with her family and friends, reading, travel, cooking, tramping, pilates and playing and watching tennis (particularly if Roger Federer is playing!).

Sonja has experience in immigration work for both permanent and temporary New Zealand visas and is able to offer guidance and assistance on a range of immigration matters.

Her experience involves assisting clients with their residence applications for the skilled migrant, family, and business & investor categories as well as work, study and visitor temporary entry applications.

Sonja has experience in assisting clients work through the variety of issues that may arise with New Zealand visa applications including the preparation of character and medical waivers.

She has lodged a number of appeals to the Immigration and Protection Tribunal regarding declined residence class visa applications and also been involved in applications for New Zealand citizenship.

In addition to the above, Sonja has practiced in the areas of residential & commercial conveyancing, commercial leases, trusts, intellectual property work involving trade mark applications, retirement villages compliance and charities law.

Sonja is a member of the New Zealand Association for Migration & Investment and has previously volunteered for the New Plymouth Citizens Advice Bureau.

She has a strong interest in other cultures, languages and customs.  Sonja is interested in meeting people from all over the world and in her spare time, likes to travel and spend time with her family.

Presently, Kirsty provides in-house legal services to First Gas and general business law advice to private clients. Prior to joining Govett Quilliam  Kirsty spent several years working as an in-house lawyer for Air New Zealand. 

Kirsty’s experience includes: 

• Advising a national infrastructure company on all aspects of its business including contract negotiations, property rights, supply and construction agreements, and statutory compliance
• Drafting and negotiating  long-term supply contracts for the procurement of offshore ground handling services
• Contract advice in connection with a successful bid for the All-of-Government contracts for the provision of airline and related travel management services to the Australian Government
• Liaising with industry regulators and responding to regulatory investigations in New Zealand, Australia and the US

Kirsty also advises private clients in relation to residential and commercial property sales and purchases, trusts and estate planning, wills, enduring powers of attorney, estate administration and other areas of general practice.

Kirsty is kept busy with her two young daughters and their many activities.  She is a big fan of the local café and music scene and enjoys keeping active with running , netball and basketball.

Rebecca has experience advising and representing clients on a range of resource management matters, including consent and plan change applications.  Rebecca has also assisted both private and public sector clients in relation to various District Plan reviews.  Rebecca has a particular interest in urban planning and development.
 
Rebecca enjoys advising  and representing clients in relation to a range of local government issues including bylaws and policies, road stopping and Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act matters.
 
Rebecca also provides advice and represents clients in relation to disputes under the Construction Contracts Act 2002, the Weathertight Homes Resolution Services Act 2006 and other building and construction matters.

Rebecca loves making the most of the beautiful Taranaki coastline and New Plymouth's thriving cafe scene with her family and friends. She enjoys living an active lifestyle spending her spare time in the gym, at the many parks with her Labrador or at the beach. She also volunteers regularly at the Citizens Advice Bureau. 

Her areas of expertise include Care of Children Act and Domestic Violence proceedings, general Family Court advocacy, dispute resolution, the application of Te Ture Whenua Māori Act 1993  (including the establishment and governance of Māori land trusts, succession to interests in Maaori land, the rules of alienation of Māori land including the rights of first refusal to the preferred class of alienee, protection of wahi tapu sites, access to Māori land including roadways and easements, and partitioning Māori land and other title improvements) and providing general advice about Māori legal issues affecting individuals, whanau, hapuu and iwi.

Miaana provides advice in all areas of family law, including separation, relationship property, Contracting Out Agreements, childcare issues (such as Guardianship, paternity, adoption and care of children) and domestic violence. She is a genuine people person and brings a practical and empathetic approach to family law.  Miaana regularly represents clients in the Family courtroom, but where possible seeks to find solutions with her clients which avoid unnecessary litigation.

Ko Taranaki, ko Te Atiawa ona iwi (Miaana is of Taranaki and Te Atiawa descent). Miaana appears in the Māori Land Court on a wide range of issues and she prides herself on finding unique culturally driven solutions tailored to her clients. She understands the importance of receiving excellent legal services from advisors who understand tikanga Māori and how it relates to client needs. 

Miaana is involved with the Priscilla Sandys Wunsch Trust. Miaana is also a member of the New Plymouth Old Boys Sports Club and the Oakura Tennis Club. She also volunteers at the Citizens Advice Bureau in New Plymouth. 

Miaana loves exploring the beauty that Taranaki has to offer. In her spare time, she enjoys baking, playing tennis, netball and running (preferably downhill and short distances).

 

Paige has a wide range of Family Law experience and regularly assists our clients with matters such as child care and contact disputes, domestic violence matters, paternity applications, child relocation disputes and guardianship issues.  

Paige also has experience in resolving relationship property disputes and advising on how to protect your assets pre and post separation. 

Paige has a human resources background and is also experienced in advising both Employee’s and Employer’s in Employment Law matters. This includes advising on employment restructures, redundancies, disciplinary meetings, mediations and Employment Relations Authority Hearing’s. 

Paige volunteers in her spare time at the local citizens advice bureau, providing free legal advice to the New Plymouth community.

Paige comes from a family of “motor-heads” so you can often find Paige in her spare time supporting her family in their various motorsport endeavours (thankfully you cannot find her on the racetrack). Paige also enjoys exploring the outdoors and appreciating the beautiful sites that Taranaki has to offer.

Since starting at GQ , Beatrice has both been involved in, and independently managed conveyancing transactions from meeting with clients through to settlement. 

In regards to property law Beatrice is confident advising on proposed developments to land. She has been involved in an overseas investment application by an international oil and gas client for the acquisition of sensitive New Zealand land and business assets. 

Beatrice has had experience both reviewing and negotiating contractual terms of agreements relating to business purchases. 

In the rural law sphere Beatrice’s involvement includes attending Fieldays (the annual national agricultural show) with GQ’s rural team, and assisting on farm settlements. 

Beatrice loves getting out and about with friends and enjoying Taranaki’s beautiful beaches and mountain walks. Coming from Wellington, she is an avid foodie (and coffee addict!), and likes exploring the New Plymouth cafe and restaurant scene. 

Troy specialises in general civil and commercial litigation and employment law.  Prior to returning to New Plymouth he worked in the United Kingdom for the London office of a large US national commercial law firm and a top 100 UK firm.  He has also worked for a large commercial national firm based in Auckland. 

Troy has an extensive background in general civil and commercial litigation, including breach of contract, employment, insolvency, construction and property law, debt recovery, banking and finance, partnership and company law disputes.  Troy also regularly appears in the Maori Land Court dealing with Maori land and governance issues for Maori organisations.

Troy also advises on day-to-day employment issues, developing employment policies and implementing disciplinary procedures (and conducting disciplinary meetings). He has advised a number of Maori organisations in this regard.

Troy regularly provides pro bono legal work to a number of community organisations and charitable trusts, including Nganahau-a-uru Trust (created partly in order to bring the IronMaori Kaupapa to Taranaki and to encourage whanau to pursue lifestyle changes).

Will has specialist in-house experience with a number of Oil and Gas Corporates. Will's expertise includes reducing business risk through refining and integrating effective risk management and governance with improved processes that align to company activities, scale and objectives.

Will’s Corporate practice regularly sees him drafting, reviewing and advising clients on Procurement, Gas Supply, Charter Party, Land Access, Plug and Abandonment, Crude Sales and JV Operation Agreements.

In private practice, Will enjoys working with innovative, progressive commercial clients on a variety of domestic and international business, construction and property transactions.

Will’s a relationship guy who likes to get to know you, understand your business, and provide advice that you can both understand and action. Whether its contract review or preparing terms of trade, constitutions, shareholder agreements or other commerical related matters, Will is a good man to speak with.

Will has been involved in a number of community based organisations, and is currently a Board Member with Taranaki’s Chamber of Commerce.

Will is a regular weekend warrior, battling the line-ups around Taranaki’s coast. When not surfing, Will is usually spending time with his young family, or (when the stars align) playing golf, or relaxing with friends.


 

Catherine has a depth of experience in the rural sector having been the in-house lawyer for Westland Dairy Company in Hokitika before starting at GQ.  She advising on a broad range of farming related legal issues including the sale and purchase of farms, leases and shareholders agreements and succession planning.

In the commercial area, Catherine has acted for many small businesses on a variety of maters including terms of trade, commercial leases as well as sale and purchases.

Catherine acts for many private clients in relation to asset protection and trusts.  She has extensive experience in conveyancing and has also acted for many clients moving into a retirement villages or rest homes.

Catherine acts for non-profit organisations and charitable trusts in the Taranaki region.

Catherine is the mother of 4 young children which keeps her very busy!  She manages and coaches a variety of sports teams which her children are involved with including tennis, miniball and touch rugby.  She is also an active member of the St Pius X Home & School committee.

When she has some time to herself she loves a good  book.  She also enjoys playing netball and has recently discovered the joys of Gaelic football.