Principal: Lauchie Griffin

Trust, property and business law specialist

Lauchie has practiced law since 1985. His interest in and practice of trust, property and business law has been honed during his lengthy legal career.

Before establishing LEGAL PLANiT, Lauchie was a founding partner in two-partner commercial law firm, Wilson Griffin. Wellington-based Wilson Griffin was Lauchie’s first step in breaking the mold of the traditional practice of law, something that would only be fully realised when he founded LEGAL PLANiT.

Lauchie’s vision for LEGAL PLANiT was to discard many of the constraints of tradition and create a professional service, first and foremost focused on clients’ actual needs. Establishing the practice in 1999, Lauchie set out to lift the bar of service excellence by looking at problems through a client's eyes, then applying expertise to achieve practical results. The end product is a combination of professional quality advice with energetic and approachable service.

Solicitor: Kate Rutherford

Kate Rutherford started practising as a lawyer in 2002 and worked for a Christchurch law firm before heading off on her OE. She has travelled extensively in Asia and Africa and has experienced living in the Netherlands and the UK.

In the UK, Kate worked as an ‘in house’ commercial property solicitor for two local authorities.

Kate is developing expertise in the areas of property law, business law and trusts & estates management, and is very much part of the innovative and client focused team at LEGAL PLANiT.

Registered Legal Executive: Adele Hollis

Adele has gained her experience as a Registered Legal Executive through employment within the legal profession, both within New Zealand and overseas, since 1980.

After studying part-time between 1990-1992, during employment with a law firm in Christchurch, Adele gained her Law Society Legal Executive Certificate. Since then (apart from a period of time taken to be at home with her children), Adele has worked as a Legal Executive, specialising in the residential property & estate planning areas.

Adele now enjoys assisting Lauchie Griffin with providing LEGAL PLANiT's clients with the energetic and approachable service they have grown accustomed to. Adele feels lucky to have the benefit of LEGAL PLANiT's up to date technology systems, which give immediate accessibility to digital client files, resources and records, enabling efficiency and client peace of mind.

Associated Advisory Specialists

LEGAL PLANiT works closely with a range of other business specialists to offer complete solutions to clients. This service offering includes risk management, business turnaround management, financial planning, accountants, tax advisors and specialist legal advisors.

Online transaction status communication:
KeyTrack® is a New Zealand developed online communication software that LEGAL PLANiT has been licensed to use since 2004. The KeyTrack® system is a great way to improve communications between all parties associated with a property transaction. Secure online access is given to LEGAL PLANiT's clients (and to the client’s real estate agent, mortgage broker and other nominated interested parties) to view a property report called a TSR (Transaction Status Report). Clients and agents can add their own notes to this shared file, for LEGAL PLANiT to be alerted to. Email / SMS Text updates are sent to the client, agent and any mortgage broker, etc when the TSR is created at LEGAL PLANiT; when any notes are added to the TSR; and as the deal progresses through to the ‘unconditional’ and ‘settled’ stages. KeyTrack® provides online access to status reports on property transactions 24/7, with updates that will get to the client, wherever the client is. For more information on KeyTrack®, visit its website at www.keytrack.co.nz

Financial planning: Peter Cave, Prime Planning
Prime Planning provides a comprehensive range of financial planning services to professional, private and corporate clients. Prime Planning’s mission is to “assist clients in the creation, preservation and protection of their wealth, with the purpose of helping them achieve the financial security to maintain their desired lifestyle". The Directors of Prime Planning - Peter Cave, Tina Evans & Alan Power - have been helping clients manage their wealth for over 35 years and today lead a team consisting of eight specialist financial planners through offices in Wellington and Taranaki. Prime Planning is also a founding member of the Prospero Group - a national network of financial advisors specialising in investment research, asset class allocation and consolidated portfolio administration. Prime Planning believes that the financial strategy of each client needs to be as individual and personal as the client, and it works with its clients to identify their lifetime goals and aspirations, and to show them how the “six step financial planning process” will assist them in the attainment of their personal objectives. For more information on Prime Planning visit its website at www.primeplanning.co.nz

Financial planning: Warwick Walker, FSB4 Financial Services
FSB4 Financial Services is Wellington’s largest impartial financial services company. FSB4 Financial Services’ focus is to provide a comprehensive planning approach for its busy professional and business clients in order to both grow and protect their wealth, so they can enjoy the lifestyles they want. FSB4 Financial Services has specialists in investment, financial planning, business and personal insurance, mortgages, refinancing and KiwiSaver. Clients have access to the independent research its uses in selecting the most appropriate investments and insurances for them. FSB4 Financial Services’ in house specialists work closely together and with clients and other professionals, such as solicitors and accountants, to ensure the best outcomes in the most time and cost effective manner for the client.

Risk management: Mather Nicholson Insurance Brokers Limited
Mather Nicholson Brokers specialises in business and personal applications of life insurance to protect companies, shareholders and individuals. Its directors are Dave Mather & Tess Nicholson. Dave Mather has been in the Insurance business for 24 years, and Tess Nicholson has over 30 years experience in managing both large and small corporate customers, working with customers at all levels within these organisations. Between them, they offer a complete range of life insurance products & services, which they personalise and tailor to meet individual needs.

Corporate and commercial law: Crengle Shreves & Ratner
Crengle Shreves & Ratner specialises in providing legal advice in public sector, intellectual property, commercial, corporate and securities law areas. The firm comprises four partners who, between them, have careers spanning four decades. Their expertise ranges from public offerings, mergers & acquisition and joint ventures to advising on the establishment of individual consulting companies, start-up ventures and software development contracts. At Crengle Shreves & Ratner you will deal only with the partners who have each had extensive experience in a large firm environment and understand how personal relationships and quality outcomes can be lost in the cost-driven anonymity of those structures. They share the LEGAL PLANiT commitment to work with their clients to achieve mutually acceptable outcomes within agreed timeframes, at a reasonable cost.

Development & insurance law: Hazelton Law
A small, efficient and specialised firm that takes pride in its work in the development and insurance industries. By focusing on industry issues, they provide the best results for their clients. They firmly believe that a client’s best interests are served by choosing a specialist firm for a specialist job.

Accountancy services: Curtis McLean Limited
Curtis McLean specialises in tax planning and asset protection for businesses and individuals. It is an accounting practice that offers high quality professional accounting and business development services in a friendly client focused environment. Curtis McLean is not your traditional accountancy practice. You will realise that when you visit their offices. Not the typical grey and wood-grained paneling of a traditional accounting firm, but lime green walls and aubergine furniture. Espresso coffee or a choice of six different teas. Chocolates. Books you'll enjoy browsing through at reception.

Accountancy services: Gray Hughson, Gray Hughson & Associates Limited
Gray Hughson has extensive experience, spanning more than 30 years as a chartered accountant. He specialises in business development, financial and asset restructuring, together with property investment and general taxation advice.

Tax advisory services: Paul Hodson, BDO Spicers Wellington
Paul Hodson is a Partner in the Taxation Services division of BDO Spicers Wellington. He has specialist knowledge in advising clients on New Zealand and international tax issues. He also has particular expertise in GST, international tax planning, business ownership structuring, estate planning and tax investigations.