Meet Our People

Amanda emigrated to Nelson in 2014 after 15 years as a Partner in a large regional law firm in the UK and is qualified to practice both in the UK…

A true Southern Girl, Jacintha completed the majority of her schooling in Invercargill. Graduating in December 2008 from the University of Otago having completed a double degree in Law and…

Believe it or not, Joe is the second ex-policeman to have made it onto our payroll. Now this is not a statistic that will make the Guinness Book of Records,…

Hamish is the founding partner of our office in Motueka having set up Kennedy & Associates in 1985. In October 2013, Hamish merged his firm with Knapps Lawyers and in…

Practicing law runs deep through Nick’s family tree. As a fourth-generation lawyer with over 40 years of legal practice under his belt. Nick has an impressive range of expertise in…

Deeanah offers specialist consultancy services to Atkinson Crehan. Although born and bred in Australia, Deeanah has a genuine connection to the Tasman region as she spent a term at Nelson…

Although Merv has retired from full-time active service at Atkinson Crehan Law, he is still ‘on board’ and giving advice to our Estates team at our Richmond office. As one…

Based in beautiful Motueka, Julie is passionate about supporting local clients with practical, tailored legal solutions. With a strong background in both legal practice and business systems, Julie brings a…

Marie Austin is the powerhouse team leader of our Asset Planning & Estate team. Believe it or not, one Will does not suit all circumstances. At Atkinson Crehan, Marie focuses…

Christine's youthful appearance belies the fact that she is officially a “Nana”. She claims looking after her grandchildren and spending time with them is the best fun out there. Equally…

This is one lady you wouldn’t pick for spending her weekends on the track…but, with both a road and dirt bike, Kirsty is a familiar face at local motor spot…

Judith is an experienced registered legal executive having trained while working initially for Hamish & Associates in Motueka. After a period of time with another local law firm, Judith has…

A true local, Kelly has lived nearly all her life in Nelson - apart from her university years in Christchurch and a year of sunshine in Perth. Her professional journey…

Jayne has recently joined us as a Legal Executive in our Property team. After having gained her Legal Executive Diploma in 2020, she began her first role at another local…

As our dedicated Relationship Property Solicitor, Greta specialises in guiding clients through life’s big changes with confidence and clarity. Admitted to the bar in 2018, Greta holds a Bachelor of…

Helen is a Nelsonian through and through, born, raised and still calling it her home. With a career spanning leadership roles at Nelson City Council, the Ministries of Education, Justice…

Lizzie is an experienced registered legal executive in our asset planning and estates team. Lizzie provides advice and assistance with wills,enduring powers of attorney and estate administration. Lizzie values being…

Cheryl has recently joined our Estates Team, bringing with her several years of experience working in Estate Administration and Planning at another firm. She’s passionate about helping clients navigate the…

Berny is well-practiced in multiple aspects of law thanks to her longevity in the industry [starting around 1998]. From trusts and wills to environmental law and conveyancing, personal secretary, sole…

Libby grew up in Nelson and now enjoys the slower pace of life in beautiful Motueka with her husband and their lively one-year-old son, who keeps her on her toes!…

Originally from Victoria, Australia, Zoe made the move to Nelson in 2022 with her partner. Previously working in an Australian Law firm assisting in commercial and property matters she started…

Gilly moved from Christchurch to Nelson in early 1999 after meeting her soon to be husband Alex. Gilly started at Knapps Nelson as Receptionist before moving to our Richmond office…

Sharyn was born and raised in Richmond, Nelson, and has been working at a law firm with Knapps in the name since 1977 (do the math on that one). December…

Having been brought up in the UK, Sandie emigrated to Australia with her husband in 2016, living there for 3 years, before deciding to move closer to family and hit…

Karen started in her role as Personal/Team Assistant in July 2019 working in our Estates team. Karen enjoys the variety of the work she does along with the client contact…

Lyn is a born and bred Motueka local lady. She’s worked for Kennedy and Associates, Knapps and now Atkinson Crehan since 2007. Lyn is one of our two reception/office administrators…

Diane is originally a Southland girl who relocated in 2019 to Motueka having holidayed in the area for 40+ years. She has worked in a legal office since 1976 and…