Buying and selling property, Wills and enduring powers of attorney, relationship property division and divorce, care of children arrangements and criminal proceedings all benefit from and often require – a lawyer’s expert advice.

That’s why we at Checketts McKay have jumped at the opportunity to offer advice to the Central Otago community in 2024. Through regular columns, we hope to help you to better understand legal issues that impact your life.

A new government, and consequently a likely raft of law and policy changes will be introduced in the next year or so. We’ll keep you informed regarding of some the changes you will need to be alert to, so you can be pre-emptive in sorting your affairs out and identify potential issues before they become problematic.

Guiding locals through legal issues and changes is something we have been doing since the 1880s when Checketts McKay was first established.

Our practice covers Central Otago and the Southern Lakes, and our team of experts are poised to respond to whatever life throws at our clients, serving individuals or businesses, townsfolk or rural residents, entrepreneurs or retirees.

For many people, engaging a lawyer is a last resort and that’s okay. There’s plenty of scope for you to make good decisions, prepare well, and take care of details to mitigate the need for lengthy legal consultations. That’s how we can help.

But we also know from experience, that there can be negative long-term consequences to not seeking legal advice when needed. Sometimes it is better to spend time and money on getting things right in advance to save in the long term – just ask anyone who has lost a

loved one without a Will in place. One of our goals is also to help you to identify when you need the professional services of a lawyer.

Community, Support, and Expertise are Checketts McKay’s guiding values. Our 40-odd staff are members of and contributors to the local community, and as a firm we love to give back which is why we are involved with supporting our region’s schools and community groups.

Checketts McKay has actively grown with the district since the gold rush days, and we are excited to be able to offer you ongoing advice as Central Otago marches into the future. If you need local legal expertise, our door is always open, and you can find us on The Central App under Professional Services.