Lawyer thriving 38 years on

Warwick Deuchrass was taken aback recently when a long-standing client he had not heard from for a while seemed surprised he was still at his desk, working. But, as the managing partner and chairman of Anderson Lloyd tells business editor Dene Mackenzie, he is never happier than when practising law.

When someone seems surprised that you are either still working or not dead, you could be inclined to take it the wrong way. But Anderson Lloyd managing partner and chairman Warwick Deuchrass says with a laugh it just shows how much he enjoys his job and that the work put in decades ago in building up a loyal client base continues to pay dividends.

Mr Deuchrass (60) is thriving. He walks to his Otago House office at 6.15am when he is in Dunedin, the first to arrive at work about 6.30am. He puts in a long day before undertaking unpaid community work, something he still values as a being a contribution to the place he calls home.

He chairs legal organisations, serves on all sorts of committees, legal and otherwise, and splits his time between a home and office in Dunedin and another home with a large garden in Wanaka he shares with his wife, Shirley.

''We are so lucky here. I get asked what holds us to Dunedin and Otago and it is the people.''

At his daughter's graduation from the University of Otago, Mr Deuchrass found himself greeting long-time friends from around the country. When his daughter commented on how many people he knew, Mr Deuchrass replied the university created its own ties through his contemporaries attending university, followed by their children. That enabled people in Auckland to keep up with what was happening in this city.

''We have an enviable lifestyle, and they recognise that.''

Mr Deuchrass started practising law in Dunedin 38 years ago at Gilbert and Francis. Some of the clients he started with then are still with him now.

''People are very loyal to you if they are treated correctly. They stay with you and never forget you. Those clients ranged from farmers to small business owners and mums and dads starting out. Some of them grew into big businesses and some just stayed small clients. But they always need some help at some stage.

''I have bloody wonderful clients, people I have served for decades. You can't forget that clients are pivotal to your success.''

Recently, Mr Deuchrass took a call about a client's will. He looked up the will and found he had drawn it up in 1982. He had a wide client base and his work had evolved to encompass the rural sector, agri-business, commercial and small business law. He had completed some large deals and some smaller ones, but each satisfying outcome was why he had remained in law, he said.

He has also become a leading expert in co-operative law and mergers and acquisitions.

''I have a range of skills and have always resisted being pigeon-holed into one area. It takes you decades to learn those sorts of skills. A lot of people now specialise in niche areas very early. They don't have a wide knowledge of the law. That's not a bad thing but you do have to have a good general knowledge of the law to apply it as required.''

The reason for the interview with Mr Deuchrass was to talk about the 150th celebration of Anderson Lloyd, a firm that dates back Bryan Cecil Haggitt, who established a law firm in Dunedin on June 2, 1862.

The South Island law firm now has more than 150 staff and offices in Dunedin, Christchurch and Queenstown. The Christchurch and Queenstown offices each have about 30 staff.

The firm continued to serve a loyal client base, who continued to provide the firm with highly complex legal work, Mr Deuchrass said. Anderson Lloyd had responded to the challenges of a changing legal environment by adopting the best possible technology and ensuring all staff were made fully aware of the direction and strategy being undertaken.

In 2011, the owner partners completed a review and set a strategy for the next five years but to do that, all staff were invited to offer thoughts on values. Involvement and communication were essential in creating a good working environment and retaining staff, he said.

That had shown through during the devastating February 2011 Christchurch earthquake when the Anderson Lloyd staff were trapped in the Clarendon Tower for three hours. Although there were no deaths or casualties, staff had to deal with major upheaval in their personal and private lives, Mr Deuchrass said. They also had to deal with relocating and the support provided by the other two offices allowed the process to work seamlessly, he said.

Anderson Lloyd ran workshops for staff on the values of the firm so everyone could play their part.

''Everyone at certain levels should understand everything. The owners have a slightly different level of communication but there shouldn't be too many secrets.''

Asked about the role Anderson Lloyd played, Mr Deuchrass said the firm was regarded as one of the top three legal entities in the South Island but he believed it was the only one to deliver services through multiple locations.

The changes had occurred as clients who started in Dunedin moved to Christchurch or other parts of the South Island. It was either follow them or abandon them and abandoning them was never an option, he said.

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The Deuchrass file
• Warwick Deuchrass, age 60.
• Married to Shirley; the couple have four adult children.
• Attended King's High School and has an LLB from the University of Otago.
• He chairs the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust and the Law Link board from Auckland and the New Zealand Law Faculty from Wellington. He is also chairman of the New Zealand Law Library board.
• Interests include gardening in their extensive Wanaka garden and travel. Mr Deuchrass is a keen fisherman and cyclist, but says he does not play as much golf as he would like.
• Quote: ''There is not a day goes by that I don't enjoy being here at Anderson Lloyd. The best day I have is doing law.''

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- dene.mackenzie@odt.co.nz