Maxine is the firm’s resident Director at the Cromwell office.
After graduating in 1988, Maxine commenced practice in Invercargill, becoming a partner in 1993. In 2005 Maxine moved with her family to Cromwell where she has become deeply involved in the community, including serving 9 years on the Cromwell College Board of Trustees, 6 of those years as Chairperson.
Maxine joined Checketts McKay as a Director in 2013. She has extensive business and property law experience and is known for her pragmatic approach in complex situations. Maxine has a particular interest in investment property and trust transactions.
Maxine served for 25 years as a Tenancy Tribunal Adjudicator, retiring in June 2018. Having that inside knowledge of rental investment property is a real advantage for her clients.
Maxine’s recreational time is spent with family and friends enjoying the Central Otago environment.
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Fraser is an experienced property and commercial solicitor admitted in both New Zealand and in England and Wales (non -practising). After 12 years working in the United Kingdom, Fraser has returned with his young family to beautiful Central Otago.
In his last 8 years in the UK, Fraser was Managing Partner for a specialist law firm primarily advising leading commercial banks and financial institutions in connection with real estate lending activities. Fraser has extensive experience in handling property transactional work relating to commercial property (industrial, warehouses/distribution, development land, retail, hospitality, leisure, agricultural, viticultural and horticultural), residential investment property and residential property. He has been a panelist at the Property Investor and Homebuyer Show, the UK’s largest exhibition of UK property and has been a commentator for property finance industry publications.
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Raised in Dunedin, Emily graduated from Otago University with Law and Arts (Communications) degrees before joining Checketts McKay in January 2019. She is based in the Cromwell office and will be assisting Maxine and Fraser in a variety of work types including commercial, property and trust & estate planning.
Outside of work Emily, enjoys keeping active and experiencing the diverse range of outdoor activities Central Otago has to offer. She is delighted to have made the move to sunny Cromwell, especially as she enjoys water sports, and hopes to get involved with more community based initiatives over the coming months.
Karleigh joined Checketts McKay Law as a part time Legal Assistant in 2017 while finishing her LLB at the University of Otago.
She works mainly in estate and trust law at our Cromwell office but will be increasingly assisting Director, Maxine Knowler, with a variety of legal work and is looking forward to gaining experience in many areas of court work.
Karleigh has lived in Cromwell with her husband and children for the last 13 years and has hands on experience in buying, selling, building and subdividing residential property in Cromwell. Outside of work, Karleigh enjoys biking, hiking, playing sport and being actively involved in her children's many interests.
