BUSINESS REVIEW - QUAY LAW, AUCKLAND
“What I like about being in my own business is that if I need to make decisions, then I can make them”, Ian tells me of his firm Quay Law.
Ian is friendly and welcoming. He is confident, professional in manner and immediately puts you at ease.
Ian’s law firm is 2 years old (he has practised in New Zealand for nine years) and is situated at the end of the quay near Auckland’s Hilton Hotel. It’s an attractive setting for a business. The calm blue sea outside and view of the harbour bridge provides an ergonomic escape for weary office workers. Refreshment is never far away at the viaduct which is laced with enticing cafes, bars and restaurants in walking distance.
Coming from a legal and tax background at Deloittes in South Africa, Ian has worked hard to re-establish his legal position in New Zealand since arriving from South Africa in 1997. He resigned from his position with Deloittes in Wellington and pursued fulltime study in order to write the New Zealand Law Society Practice and Conversion examinations. He remembers it as being a difficult period where he questioned many times if he had made the right decision. But he’s glad now that he tackled the exams, saying that “Choosing whether to re-qualify in order to stay in your own profession is a personal choice and you need to deal practically with your own situation.”
Quay Law offers many legal advisory services including immigration, residential and commercial conveyancing (buying and selling property), trust and estate planning (encompassing family trusts and wills), estate administration, taxation matters, buying or selling a business, business succession planning, relationship property agreements and general legal advice.
Even if you aren’t considering marriage, there can still be legal complications in New Zealand for long term relationships that you should be aware of. Also many South Africans arriving in New Zealand overlook renewing wills and last testaments. Like Ian says, “It doesn’t have to be a complex document, but it’s an essential one particularly if children are involved”. These are two of many legal issues facing new arrivals in New Zealand, which is why Ian strongly advises seeking legal advice from the beginning.
Ian acknowledges that immigrating to a new country is a daunting prospect, and believes that it is essential to plan your affairs properly. In this regard it is often easier to speak to and deal with someone who has experienced that process and who can provide valuable practical insight when advising you.
He is acutely aware that cost is often an issue, and accordingly focuses on providing appropriate and quality legal advice at affordable prices. Ian is committed to being seen as a professional service provider who does want to help and make a difference, both from a legal and a general settling-in perspective.