Alan Harper

Partner
Location: Queenstown Department: Business, Property DDI: +64 3 450 0420 Fax: +64 3 442 5136 Mobile: +64 274 323 887 VCard: Download
alan.harper@awslegal.com

Commercial law stalwart Alan Harper teed off his career, quite literally, on a golf course, and it is there he maintains some of the best business is still done.

More than 30 years after joining the legal profession, he continues to thrive on negotiating and closing the deals.

“You start right at the beginning and, when you see major projects come to fruition, you get an enormous amount of satisfaction from having overcome the numerous hurdles involved,” he says.

Specialising in often large and complex property projects, Alan’s legal knowledge is bolstered by his accounting background.

“When I act for clients they don’t have to reinvent the wheel – I’ve usually been there and done that.”

After graduating from Otago University with a double degree in law and accounting in 1978, a prominent Dunedin lawyer convinced Alan to follow the law path during a round of golf.

He joined AWS Legal’s head office in Invercargill in 1979, becoming a Partner just three years later.

Recognising the potential in the Queenstown area, Alan has travelled to the resort since the mid 1980s, culminating in the firm opening its full-time office in 2002. In 2004, to meet growing client demand, Alan relocated permanently to the Queenstown office.

“Our business has expanded rapidly in the Wakatipu basin. It’s a reflection of the growth in the area and the quality of people we have here at AWS,” he says.

Alan specialises in property development and subdivisions and is also sought after as a corporate adviser on operational, structural and legal issues.

His portfolio of directorships includes The Power Company, Otago Net, Power Net and Taxrefunds.co.nz.

“I was curious to see what it was like to work on the other side of the fence. About a quarter of my time is spent in a position where we’re using the services of the legal profession,” Alan says.

Out of the office, Alan hits the slopes or the green and is an ardent horse racing and sports fan.