Jenny Woodward - Associate

About Jenny Woodward

My career to date

"I started out as a High Court judges' clerk for two years, before joining a firm of solicitors in Christchurch for a couple of years. After that I moved up to Whangarei where I worked for Webb Ross for eight years. I left there for a belated OE to teach English in South Korea and to travel around the UK. I then moved back to Auckland, where I spent six years working at Ellis Gould. I joined Gibson Sheat in August 2008."

Jenny is an experienced commercial and property lawyer.  She advises on complex property developments, business restructuring and unit titles, leasing and trust issues. In commercial leasing Jenny has acted for both landlords and tenants in multifaceted commercial leasing transactions.  She also has extensive experience in acting for developers on the purchase of land, development of sites into unit titled apartments or commercial sites, the issue of titles and the subsequent sale of them.

Jenny's work in the commercial and property areas necessarily involves contract drafting (including drafting contracts from scratch), and negotiation. 

My recent work

• Completing the sale of a security business involving complex vendor finance secured by PPSR charges
• Drafting a sublease for a developer client for land on which our client is to build an accommodation facility and retain the management rights
• Mortgagee sales for lender clients
• Drafting a deed of assignment of customer contracts after the amalgamation of two finance companies

Professional associations and community organisations

I am a member of the Property Law Section of the NZ Law Society.

My approach to working with my clients

I am friendly and practical. I like to think I'm easy to get along with, and I always try to explain things clearly. I make sure that my clients are comfortable asking me questions.

The most rewarding experience I've had at work

I was involved in the sale of a highrise building in Auckland's CBD. It was a multi-million dollar transaction that involved documentation and leases on a file that had been on the go for fourteen years. I was part of the team that managed to push the sale through, which was satisfying.

Best piece of advice I've ever been given

Trust your instincts.

What stimulates me

I like the problem solving side of my work - when clients have issues I enjoy finding a way out for them. I'm a completer so I also get great satisfaction from tying up loose ends.   

The outdoors also stimulates me, as does travel. I like seeing how ordinary people live in different cultures.

What I enjoy outside of work

I like running and have completed a couple of half marathons. I also enjoy the outdoors, especially New Zealand's stunning scenery. Highlights include doing the Tongariro Crossing in perfect weather and climbing Mt Ruapehu.  

If I wasn't a lawyer I'd be...

A midwife. Ever since I had my son I've thought about what a rewarding job it would be. I seriously considered training as a midwife at the time, but I'm really glad I studied law. It's a great career.