Team lawyers come to town

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 601, 29 August 1995, Page 4

Team lawyers come to town

The law firm of Horsley Christie opens for business in Ohakune on Tuesday 29 August. The firm has a large number of existing clients in the Waimarino and is keen to expand its services with the opening of its branch office in Ohakune. Horsley Christie is a long established firm which traces its origins to the early 1900's. The

name "Horsley Christie" records the life-long friendship between two of the firm's founding practitioners Gilbert Horsley and Hector Christie who began legal practice in Wanganui early this century. Their respective firms, Horsley Brown and Co and Christie Craigmyle Tizard and Dickson merged in 1986 to form the modern firm of

Horsley Christie. Today the firm has a staff of 24 comprising nine lawyers, and four legal executives supported by 1 1 other support staff. Their clients range from large public to small private companies, to district and regional authorities and an established client base of private individuals and businesses. "The firm's size reflects

the fact that with the pace at which our laws are changing it has become increasingly difficult for lawyers to be all things to all people and that increasingly lawyers are specialising in order to provide quality advice to their clients," said firm lawyer Peter Brown. "The firm maintains a balance between providing personal individual advice yet being large

enough to be able to offer a complete range of legal services including specialist advice where required on a wide range ofissues," he added. Horsley Christie works on a team basis, with three teams specialising in the following types of legal work: Farming and commercial Specialising in commercial and business law, farming and forestry arrangements and transactions and trading trusts; Conveyancing Domestic and farm conveyancing and family trusts; Litigation Court work of all types, but especially civil elaims, resource management and family law. The firm has expanded over the years to enable it to supply the legal needs of the region's residents and businesses without their having to leave their region. The opening of a branch office in Ohakune is a logical extension of thatpolicy. Initially, while the firm is gauging the level of demand, the Ohakune office will be staffed every Tuesday from 10.00am until 4.00pm.

Callers within the Ohakune toll free calling area will be able to call Horsley Christie at any time toll-free by calling the Ohakune office number. Calls will be taken in the Ohakune office when staff are there and otherwise will automatically be transferred, at no charge to callers, to the firm's Wanganui office. The Ohakune office will be staffed every Tuesday by Peter Brown, a lawyer who has recently returned to Wanganui after 17 years in Wellington. Five of the firm's other lawyers, Colin Milham, John Unsworth, Richard Moore, Max Restieaux and Jane Hunter will also regularly be in the office. Each brings with them their own individual areas of expertise and specialty. "Horsley Christie has been very pleased with the encouragement and support for its move which it has received from local businesses and existing clients. The level of interest which has been shown indicates that there will be strong demand for our services," said Mr Brown. 'The firm encourages its clients to build strong

working relationships with their advisers whether they be legal, accounting or other advisers so that there is good communication and a better understanding of a clients circumstances and needs." "We encourage people to consult their advisers early in a transaction preferably before a transaction is entered into rather than waiting until a problem has arisen or the terms of an agreement have been reached." "Once a contract has been signed generally the terms are fixed and it may be difficult to make changes. Often if early advice is sought about a potential problem it is easier to avoid the problem altogether or to minimise its consequences. It is disappointing to see people with a problem which could have been avoided or minimised if early advice had been obtained." "The firm looks forward to strengthening its links with the Waimarino and improving the availability of a full range of legal services to both its existing and new clients," concluded Mr Brown.