High quality legal advice is critical to the achievement of those outcomes.  Commercial acumen and strategic and tactical thinking are equally important. 

 

Agate Legal is a boutique law firm, created to serve in those ways.  It specialises in corporate, commercial and borrower-side banking and finance advice.  The firm has significant points of difference.

 

It draws on the deep legal and commercial expertise and experience of its founder, Paul Hartland, a highly-ranked corporate, commercial and banking and finance lawyer, who is also qualified as a chartered accountant and has previous merchant banking experience.

 

The firm's clients and referral network understand the additional benefits and value those attributes bring.  The firm understands business, the context in which clients require assistance, their financial and commercial imperatives and the place of a pragmatic solution if appropriate.

 

From its Auckland, New Zealand base, the firm attracts work from throughout the world, including a strong and loyal following in New Zealand's South Island.  

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It has clients in a variety of industries, including civil construction, manufacturing, commercial and retail property, retail, information technology, health and other professional services, hospitality and tourism.

 

Paul has also been involved in acting for forensic or investigative accountants, or receivers, in their analysis of corporate transactions undertaken.  This is an area of interest to him, given his qualifications and background.

 

Although Paul has considerable experience leading and acting on several bank panels during his career, Agate Legal's market positioning is not to seek panel appointments for transactional lending work.  This substantially reduces the potential for conflicts of interest, particularly where borrower-side banking and finance advice is sought from the firm.  The firm well comprehends the approach taken by banks to credit and lending.  Borrowers benefit from and value that experience and positioning.

 

Further key strengths of the firm are in its focus, cut-through and working relationships with other law firms (and other professional services providers).  An unrelenting commitment to excellence, efficiency and cost-effectiveness underpins all that the firm does.  The firm's advice is directly lead by Paul.  If a client needs legal help in other areas or requires additional resourcing, the firm can make referrals to or work in with other appropriate legal services providers.  Conversely, the firm can be brought in by other providers to assist in its specialist areas.  The firm has the versatility to fulfil the role of lead adviser, supporting adviser, or member of a team of advisers on a matter, as the circumstances dictate.

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Further details about ranking and recognition of Paul's approach and work can be found on the Expertise page of this website.