Caity Cresswell
I joined the firm in early 2022 after graduating from the University of Otago. Throughout my interview process I was nervous to say to the partners that I had no idea what area of law I wanted to specialise in. I had taken a lot of papers that interested me, but I struggled to see how I would turn that knowledge into a career that I was passionate about. I was eventually placed in the Property team (despite Property being one of my lowest scoring papers in Uni!).
Much to my relief, the Property team ended up being a lot more diverse and interesting than it seemed on paper. From the beginning, my workload varied from personal property such as Wills, Trusts, Enduring Powers of Attorney to commercial leases, rural purchases, easements, due diligence on large scale land purchases and more. Understanding the fundamentals of property law has given me such a strong foundation for my legal career; I find that everything we do tends to tie back to property law in some way or another.
In time I became exposed to relationship property. I found that relationship property agreements, i.e. contracting out agreements and separation agreements, combined my desire to help people through some tumultuous (or exciting!) periods with my skills in drafting and problem solving. When Alesha Evetts joined the firm in early 2024, I was eager to assist with her practice.
I officially became part of the Family team at the beginning of 2025. The partners were nothing but supportive of me switching teams so that I could continue following my passion. Of course, I am still learning, and so each day brings a new challenge, but I am grateful to be working with a partnership that puts their staff’s wellbeing first and who encourage growth and progression within our careers.
