Bramwell Bate Lawyers Is Pleased To Announce Their Newest Director

Following a year as an Associate, Bramwell Bate Lawyers is pleased to announce Christine Symes as their newest Director. Christine joins current Directors Kevin Osborne, Roger Phillip, Edward Bostock and Leah McHardy.

Born and raised on a farm in Southland, Christine attended the University of Otago in the late 90s before moving to Hawke’s Bay with her husband Ben, a born and raised local. After working as an in-house lawyer for StockCo, a livestock finance company, Christine returned to working in law firms.

“There is a genuine sense of achievement working with a client from start to finish on a project, which I really missed working in-house”, Christine commented when asked about the change in direction.

A couple of key mentors have been incredibly beneficial to her career, including Malcolm Taylor, a recent retiree of Bramwell Bate. With an alignment of values, particularly given her Southland upbringing, helping Malcolm with his client group as well as building her own practice, has been a rewarding process over the past 12 months.

It is an interesting time to be a lawyer. The housing crisis continues to play out, bringing about a new playing field given recent announcements by the Labour Government. Christine believes we will also see the impact of global warming and environmental issues and will be looking to see the Government’s response, along with how they will impact Bramwell Bate’s clients. The overhaul of the Resource Management Act is another area to watch, in terms of what it will mean for growth in Hawke’s Bay.

Bramwell Bate continues to grow and adapt to a changing environment. After what has been a challenging year for us all, the team of 25 recently got together to agree to the firm’s core values – approachable, trusting, caring, resilient and progressive.

As a Director in this respected regional law firm, Christine is looking forward to the next step in her career as a local business owner and is driven by her desire to provide outstanding advice to an ever-expanding client group.

Of course, it’s not just all about work. Christine spends most weekends with Ben and her three boys, juggling a schedule of school sports and events, and making the most of all Hawke’s Bay has to offer.