What do I like about working on the beaches?
I have never found a better way of putting it, but there is definitely a pervasive culture of “keeping it real” on the beaches.
The plethora and diversity of small and medium sized enterprises that are the growth engine for the economy.
I have always been interested in the delineation of light industrial, retail and residential spaces, so if one is into that sort of thing, the beaches is the place to be.
I have to say, after working in the CBD for many years, I am still amazed by the concept of free parking. Living in the lower North shore, my commute, which is against the general flow, is pleasing.
What do you enjoy about your role at WMW?
The most enjoyable aspects of my role at WMW can be simply stated as our clients and our culture. Both are inexorably linked.
Our raison d’être is clear; we exist to solve our clients’ legal problems. We consciously try and make the process as stress-free as possible and while our solutions appear to be straight forward, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes to make this possible.
In summary, our firm, by embracing client centricity (rather than revolving around the “Firm”) and coupling that with our ability to provide straight-forward, practical advice largely explains WMW’s longevity in a highly competitive and continually changing market. When WMW was founded, neither the firm nor its clients had computers, fax machines (which now seem old) or mobile phones.
As the newest member of the team, and having worked as a finance professional for two decades, I not only enjoy the diversity of our clients’ problems that need to be solved but also what we call the “have a go first” principle. Everyone who works in WMW, when confronted with a new problem (and this happens to the most experienced lawyers regularly), is expected to “have a go first” at solving it and then present your ideas to the older and wiser lawyers. There is also a continual dialogue between colleagues bouncing ideas off one another in order to stress-test and simplify a client’s solution.
Alex assists clients in the following areas:
- Wills
- Probate applications
- Estate administrations
- Family provision claims
- Enduring Powers of Attorney and Appointment of Enduring Guardians
- Living Wills (Advanced Health Care Directives)
- Corporations law
- Company secretarial
- Business start-ups
- Shareholder and joint venture agreements
- Business sale and purchase agreements
- Business acquisition due diligence