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South Canterbury farm boy turned Blenheim lawyer Andrew Finch is dedicated and diligent in his work. In honour of that, he landed a property lawyer laurel at the New Zealand Law Awards late last year. JO GILBERT learns how he got to where he is and what keeps him in the game.
A huge compliment was served Andrew Finch's way when he won the 2009 New Zealand Law Awards' Babbage Property Lawyer of the Year award in November.
But he says it's not because the awards bill their winners as "the cream of the legal profession"; rather, it's because the award stemmed from a client nomination and is about client service.
"Being available to clients has proven to be what they want and it's crucial. I make sure they can get hold of me and that I make time to listen. I think that's what really helped me [win the award]."
To be singled out was humbling, he says, as big metropolitan law firms also vied for the award.
"I guess this award is recognition that with the effort and work I put in, the judges think I do it better than everyone else."
This award-winner has been in the profession for more than 12 years after graduating from the University of Otago with degrees in law and psychology in 1997.
After uni he landed his first job as a staff solicitor at Blenheim's Hardy-Jones Clark, and there he has stayed, with no plans to move on. In 1999 he became an associate, before becoming a partner in 2003.
Many of Andrew's clients are rural and he says rural property is the most enjoyable aspect of his job, as he relates well to the clients.
This is unsurprising, given that his childhood was spent on a dairy farm in Temuka, and that he was New Zealand Young Farmer of the Year in 2000.
Although he worked the family's land growing up, as all farm kids do, he says it wasn't something he wanted to do long term, so off to uni he went.
Nonetheless, in 1999 he found himself competing in the national young farmer competition, where he came seventh. The following year, he took the title.
"I didn't have any great aspirations with it. Things just worked in my favour and it turned out I knew more about farming than I ever gave myself credit for."
Since capturing the title, he's helped with the national competition, including fronting some of the television coverage, which he enjoys as "something different".
Being involved in the contest is useful for his work, as he says Blenheim is "effectively a rural service town dealing with rural issues".
That's not to say it hasn't changed since he arrived in 1997.
"It was a different world then. At the time, the viticulture industry seemed quite big and on to it, but looking back, it was in its infancy," he explains.
"The town has changed and grown a lot since I've been here. It's generated a bigger need for legal services through subdivisions and viticulture developments."
Being a lawyer in Blenheim is the way he likes it. He says there's no other place in the world he'd rather be.
Challenges in his varied role keep him energised, as does the intellectual pursuit of being a solicitor; it's all about problem-solving.
"I love the sense of purpose, achievement and satisfaction it can bring you. People's needs and the law are always changing. It's dynamic.
"It's meaningful and a real challenge using and dealing with the law of New Zealand, especially when your interpretation of it may be different to others'."
In his role, however, Andrew is not alone.
He's quick to honour his three-strong support team for all their work: law clerk Vicky Frater, legal executive Nic Corbishley and personal assistant Sarah Henderson.
"They make my job a hell of a lot easier."
Their jobs are very important, as the volume of work Andrew has can be very stressful at times. Often it's the time spent working on complex cases.
Long hours are part and parcel. He says his job can't be done without this dedication.
"We have obligations to our clients and we are in charge of representing their interests. Time is irrelevant; it has to be done."
These long hours, however, put a "disappointing" stop to his volunteer work as a Project K mentor.
After starting with the Marlborough launch of the youth development and mentoring project in July 2008, he found he was unable to give enough time to being a big brother to 16-year-old Brendon last September.
"It was an interesting experience.
"It was more challenging than I thought it was going to be in terms of relating generationally. I'm 36 and things are not the same for 15/16-year-olds these days as they were for me. Everything is moving a lot faster. Technology has changed so much."
Project K was a chance for Andrew to give back to the community, he says, but he also gained a lot. It's something he hopes to return to in the future.
The little spare time he has is spent with his partner, Alana Sagar, as well as indulging in his hobbies of mountainbiking, skiing and running. He appreciates dinners with friends and quality Marlborough wine, too.
And while this lawyer says he loves to travel, heading overseas for about two months every couple of years, working abroad has never appealed.
"I've never had any of those sorts of aspirations. I'm here for the foreseeable future. It's taken me a number of years to get to the point I'm at and have complete confidence in my role.
"Changing from here would, theoretically, be going backwards."'
`I love the sense of purpose, achievement and satisfaction it can bring you. People's needs and the law are always changing. It's dynamic - Andrew Finch
- The Marlborough Express
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