Mr Brimble (44), who was recently made a partner at Dunedin law firm Gallaway Cook Allan, joined the firm in 2016.
That earlier experience of what it was like to be in a business, managing the types of processes he now advised clients on, was very beneficial.
He could also empathise with the challenges clients might have, he said.
Brought up in Dunedin where he attended Otago Boys’ High School, Mr Brimble completed double degrees in law and commerce at the University of Otago before heading overseas for a year.
He had particularly enjoyed the human resources papers he completed as part of his commerce degree and he chose to head down that path.
But after nearly 10 years working in HR roles across public health, central government — including in the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet — and both large and small and medium-sized private sector organisations, a return to Dunedin coincided with a vacancy at Gallaway Cook Allan.
With two small children and no family support in Hawke’s Bay where the young family was living, the return south was driven by a desire to be closer to family.
Describing it as ‘‘just right place, right time’’, the role at Gallaway Cook Allan had been perfect.
While going through law school, Mr Brimble decided he wanted to focus on employment but, when he graduated, there were not many opportunities to specialise.
By moving into HR, he was able to focus on the work that he really enjoyed.
His role now covers the full spectrum of employment law, working with both employers and employees to provide practical solutions for what are often complex workplace issues.
There had been a lot of disruption in the employment scene over the last few years, including the Covid-19 pandemic which was a ‘‘pretty busy time’’ for employer lawyers.
There had also been changes to employment law, particularly significant changes introduced recently by the government to the Employment Relations Act.
Mr Brimble liked working with clients, giving them guidance and support around tricky processes, and resolving issues.
He enjoyed the atmosphere at Gallaway Cook Allan, saying it was ‘‘by far’’ the best place he had ever worked.
