Rick Farr

General Counsel / Family Officer

Rick Farr is a highly experienced corporate and commercial lawyer and skilled litigator with over 30 years’ experience practicing law in New Zealand.  Admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand in 1980 (LLB University of Otago), he has appeared in New Zealand courts on a wide and diverse range of matters throughout his career.

Rick founded Legal Affairs Management Ltd to provide specialized legal counsel and family advisory services to businesses, corporations, families, professionals and individuals in New Zealand, and to overseas clients looking to establish or expand their presence in New Zealand.  He works across a wide range of organisations, industries including farming, aquaculture, construction, forestry, manufacturing, exporting, importing, retail chains, research & development organisations and service providers.  He is regularly involved in negotiating and constructing commercial contracts, advising on business expansions and challenges, restructuring and trans Tasman and international transactions.  He has a comprehensive network of professional advisers assisting his clients with all manner of legal and quasi legal matters and cross-border transactions.

Rick has direct GM and CEO experience, again through various contracting roles, together with his exposure to local Government decision making and government policy, this gives him a practical and operational understanding across a wide range of his clients’ affairs.  

Rick assists other lawyers as an experienced litigation strategist and assists practitioners and practices in navigating practice transitions, succession planning, exits through sales, mergers or employee buyout and other issues both internal and external.  

As a Family Officer, Rick advises high-net-worth individuals and multi generational families, synchronizing legal and quasi legal advice across their operations, businesses, governance and personal affairs – working alongside their accountants, financial advisors and other trusted advisors both in New Zealand and internationally.  

Rick works regularly with corporations, organisations and individuals to guide and assist with compliance and governance matters and has a network of experts and providers available to assist on the widest range of matters.  

Rick prides himself on being available to his clients, is used to working across multiple time zones, and prefers to be a fence at the top of the hill in preference to the ambulance at the bottom.  

Cindy Laberge

Consultant/Executive Coach

Cindy Laberge is a US-trained lawyer and Executive Coach.  Over the course of her varied legal career, she has worked hand-in-hand with some of the most innovative minds in California and New Zealand.  She has known and worked with Rick Farr for many years and has now joined forces with him at Legal Affairs Management Limited.

Cindy brings a unique perspective having seen the law from virtually every angle in two countries: from courtrooms to classrooms. And after 35+ years in the law, she is still passionate about helping people succeed and have joyful careers.  

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Having started her career in the administration side of the law in the US, she rose through the ranks to become Senior Litigation Counsel at a well-respected San Francisco-based law firm, known for its ground-breaking role in developing new service delivery systems.  She then moved into management at various US and New Zealand law firms, with her last in-house position in 2023 as GM at a national New Zealand law firm.

In 2008-2009, Cindy was awarded the Senior Research InternetNZ Cyber Law Fellowship at Victoria University of Wellington Law Faculty.  There, she taught a Masters / Honours course on the regulation of cyberspace and wrote a peer-reviewed law review monograph on the future of privacy and security.[1]

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Cindy became certified in legal project management in 2012 from the originators of the concept: Legal Biz Dev out of Boston, Massachusetts, US, established in 1986. And most recently, she trained in the Marshall Goldsmith Stakeholder Centered Coaching approach, whose highly-acclaimed methodology is consistently voted #1 in various leadership coaching circles.

Over her career,  Cindy has been recruited by law firms ranging in size from three-lawyer start-ups to 150+ lawyer firms in the US and New Zealand to help them manage change, innovate, develop, and grow. The salient qualities she attributes to her success are approachability, thinking outside the box, resilience, and enthusiasm.

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[1] To What Extent Should National Security Interests Override Privacy in a Post 9/11 World? (https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1735044)

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Sarah Hewson

Legal Executive

Sarah Hewson has worked alongside Rick Farr since 2010, first as a legal secretary and personal assistant and now as legal executive. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in management, from the University of Otago, and brings over 20 years' experience in office administration, gained in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom.

Sarah's career spans the tertiary sector, public service, private business, and the charitable sector, giving her a practical understanding of how legal and administrative issues play out across very different environments. That breadth means she is equally comfortable working with board members and senior executives, community groups, and individual clients, and she brings the same adaptability to every project she takes on.

Alongside her role at Legal Affairs Management, Sarah sits on the board of trustees for the Richmond Waimea Youth Trust and works as a bookkeeper, and treasurer for several local charities. She enjoys helping Rick and his clients achieve the best possible results, while also managing the day-to-day administration of the firm.