LLB (Auckland)
Debra’s first law job was for a sole practitioner, primarily carrying out conveyancing work and subdivisions, administering estates, incorporating companies and setting up incorporated societies. She then spent a number of years working for a large Auckland city firm practising in the areas of civil litigation and employment before joining Wood Ruck in 1998. She was a partner of Wood Ruck Manukau from early 2001 until the partnership dissolved on 30 September 2010.
Debra is results driven and enjoys working alongside clients to achieve sound commercial outcomes. With her extensive litigation background she recognises the benefit of Alternative Dispute Resolution and in 2010 became a LEADR accredited mediator.
In her spare time Debra helps wrangle alpacas on her lifestyle property.
LLB (Auckland 1984)
Tony commenced his legal career as a Law Clerk with Wood Ruck, when its offices were situated in Otahuhu, and was admitted to the bar as a barrister and solicitor whilst at the firm.
He has since then gained varied legal experience. Following his time with Wood Ruck he worked in London for 2 years with firms specialising in Criminal and Personal Injury law.
On his return to New Zealand he worked in Panmure for 3 years, with his primary areas of work being Family and Civil litigation. He then worked as Senior Associate and then Partner in an Auckland City firm specialising in Civil and Commercial and Civil litigation, before returning to the southern suburbs of Auckland, and to general practice.
At Law & Associates he continues in general practice with an emphasis on Estates, Trusts, Relationship Property, and Civil and Commercial litigation.
Tony’s philosophy in legal practice is to provide timely legal advice and representation to clients in a personal and when appropriate, informal manner. Throughout the process Tony’s aim is to ensure the best possible outcome for the client, both economically and personally, no matter how small or major the issue may be.
LLB (Otago and Waikato)
Gareth has practised in family and civil litigation since 2010, starting out in a medium-sized firm in Rotorua. He has since worked for firms in both the Wellington and Auckland regions in litigation roles, and further dealt with Privacy and Official Information law for the Ministry of Social Development.
Gareth has a keen interest in all aspects of court work, and regularly appears in the Family, District and High Courts. He is always happy to work with clients on resolution of their disputes, whether through negotiation, mediation or litigation.
In his spare time, Gareth enjoys the outdoors, regularly tramping around the country. In the winter, he enjoys snowboarding and has spent time overseas in Canada partly for that reason. He is also a singer, having sung with the National Youth Choir and NZ Opera.
Gareth practises in the following areas:
LLB (Auckland)
Clare was born and raised in China and came to New Zealand in 1997 as a scholarship student. She graduated with a Bachelor of Law from the University of Auckland in 2005 and started her legal career with a boutique Auckland city law firm in general practice and conveyancing. She then moved to a New Market law firm where she deals with litigation, immigration, family and criminal defence.
Clare left New Zealand and returned to China for a number of years and worked as an Immigration Officer for Immigration New Zealand before joining Law & Associates in early 2016. She has a particularly good record of achieving successes for hard immigration cases and appeals.
Chris first joined Wood Ruck in 1981 after moving to Auckland from Hamilton, and (apart from a period of absence in 2007/2008) has worked continuously for Wood Ruck Manukau and its predecessor until the practice dissolved in 2010. She has been PA to Debra Law since Debra’s arrival at Wood Ruck in May 1998 and has extensive knowledge of the practice and our clients.
She enjoys the busy working environment with the team at Law & Associates and meeting with clients where necessary to assess their requirements. She also keeps the fridge well-stocked with the requirements of the team at Law & Associates.
Registered Legal Executive
NZILE Associate
NZDipBus
Michelle has been employed by Law & Associates since May 2014. She specialises in Property matters including Conveyancing, Wills, Trusts and Estates as well as assisting in general legal and administration matters of the firm.
Michelle began her career as a part time Legal Secretary in a local firm in 1994 while she studied and completed the New Zealand Diploma in Business qualification. Following completion of these studies, Michelle continued in a full time role as a Legal Secretary while completing her studies to become a qualified Legal Executive. She qualified as a Legal Executive in 2001.
Michelle appreciates Debra Law is a knowledgeable and approachable mentor and she enjoys working with the team at Law & Associates.
Gillian began working as a legal secretary in the Conveyancing department of a large Auckland firm in 1995. She qualified as a Legal Executive in 2004 and in 2005 moved to set up an independent practice with a Conveyancing specialist as a Personal Assistant/Legal Executive.
Law & Associates was established by Debra Law, a former partner of Wood Ruck Manukau, following the dissolution of that firm on 30 September 2010.