LawTalk 887 · 6 May 2016
emotionally to protect themselves from a further fall. “It’s not easy. Samoa is a small country and sometimes I can be at court and some Samoan clients just won’t speak to me. They know who I am, there’ll be extended family there and they don’t want me to know their problems. I have to be very sensitive,” he says. He does not do any legal aid work and often his clients cannot afford to pay for his representation. “I’m not wealthy. It’s a misconception that lawyers are all rich,” he says. There’s more to Mr Ah Kuoi than being a lawman, running from case to case. He is also a passionate rugby fan, quick with a ball in hand, and still playing at 51 years old. “I play fullback too. I even played for the
On the move Tiana Epati has been made a partner of Rishworth, Wall and Mathieson in Gisborne. Ms Epati, who specialises in criminal defence, joined the firm in 2012. For the last two years she has been the New Zealand Law Society’s Tiana Epati Gisborne branch President. On 15 April, Ms Epati became the Law Society’s Central North Island Vice-President and a member of the Society’s Board. The Employers and Manufacturers Association (Northern) Inc has appointed Michael Witt a senior solicitor. Michael is a German and New Zealand qualified lawyer. Before joining EMA Legal, Michael Michael Witt worked as a legal advisor (employment relations) for New Zealand Police in Wellington and Auckland. Before moving to New Zealand, Michael worked in the employment law team of a multi-national law firm, a leading German specialist employment law firm, the Employment Court and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce. Michael can assist in dispute resolution, drafting Continued page 10...
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Wellington Lawyers rugby team that took on the French lawyer’s team – the Paris Bar Association [played in Wellington] during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.” He is also the chair of the Wellington Samoa Rugby Union, a position he has held over the past four years. “Rugby is the national sport for Samoa too and we work alongside the Wellington Rugby Football Union to provide opportunities for Samoan players in the capital. Mr Ah Kuoi says he has managed to stay in the game because at fullback he is the last defence, and doesn’t get hit by crushing tackles by the opposition too often. “I’m also the last line of defence, so everybody else usually does the tackling unless they miss. The main thing for me is playing and training for fitness and health. Living a healthy life is important
to me, as is eating and drinking responsibly,” he says. Before becoming a sole practitioner in law about one year ago, Mr Ah Kuoi worked for Strachan O’Connor for eight years. He has plenty of solid advice for young Pacific Islanders considering a career in law. “Hard work, whether you think you’re bright or not. If you follow something with your heart, you’ll get it. It was really hard at law school. I was one of the only Samoans in my classes, but there’s no excuse for hard work, you have to do it, if you want something badly,” he says. Mr Ah Kuoi also practises family law, immigration, and conveyancing and property law. He has a partner who is also a lawyer and they have two teenage sons. ▪
New head of Kensington Swan Kensington Swan has appointed Charles Spillane Chief Executive. After graduating from Auckland University with an LLB (Hons), Mr Spillane was admitted in 1996. His early career was in private practice where he specialised in tax and corporate law. He then joined Auckland International Airport Ltd, initially as sole legal counsel before being promoted to General Coun s el, a n d G e n e ra l Manager, Corporate Affairs. In those roles he had Charles Spillane group responsibility for legal, governance, regulatory, government relations, tourist industry relations, media and community relations. Mr Spillane led the process for the Airport’s acquisition of the shareholding in Queenstown Airport Corporation and is notable for the strong relationships he built with key external stakeholders. He is a former CLANZ (now ILANZ) Corporate Lawyer of the Year and has also held a number of directorships. ▪