16th June 2016
Lawyers Digitalise the Legal Landscape in Hawke¹s Bay
Two female lawyers are digitalising the legal landscape using new technologies and fresh thinking to attract business.
Lawyers Emma Dawson and Kirsty Kupa have just opened their new law firm, DK Legal, in the Hastings CBD. It is the first
Hawke¹s Bay law firm to have legal software which is specifically designed for the legal profession and built in New
Zealand.
The software enables them to have all the information they need at their fingertips which can be accessed very quickly.
The pair says they are are prepared to turn heads, by going against the grain of the more traditional law firms.
Mrs Dawson, who was a partner at Bramwell Grossman for nine years, said she had become increasingly frustrated with the
traditional legal approach.
³The traditional methods just don¹t cut it anymore. Times have changed with technology and we no longer need to work
with archaic filing systems, fax machines and an answer phone that comes on at 5pm. Clients are wanting efficiency,
innvoation and immediate communication around the clock,² said Mrs Dawson.
³We now live in a world where technology is at our finger tips and our clients are demanding more. We can access
information at the touch of a button and be available to clients when they need us, not just during business hours. We
need to move with the times.²
Mrs Dawson said they wanted to offer more technology and efficiency, which was the main reason for opening a new firm.
³There is an aging legal community, so we are offering younger innovative thinking and a fresh legal outlook.²
The DK Legal team have also been quick to launch a new website and facebook page, which has already attracted a big
following.
³There aren¹t many Hawke¹s Bay law firms which have facebook pages, but we¹ve been amazed at how much new business we¹re
generating from our social media communication. It is so important that we have full digital capability, so we can
service our clients properly.²
Businesses and families have placed their trust in Emma and Kirsty for over 25 years as they both have the ability to
look beyond the legal jargon and make the issues easier to understand.
³It's this point of difference that influences everything we do,² said Mrs Dawson.
Emma grew up in Dannevirke and spent time managing a dairy farm before venturing into law. This local and rural
connection has given Emma a strong client base across Hawke¹s Bay. Kirsty also comes from a farming community, growing
up in New Plymouth and spent most of her legal career working in Palmerston North and spent time in the UK in some of
the world¹s largest law firms. She met Emma working at Bramwell Grossman in Hastings.
³Unlike a traditional law firm we sit beside our clients and not across the table from them. We visit them in our
gumboots and value our personal relationships with our clients,² said Mrs Kupa.
³We know that to get ahead and provide the best service for our clients, we need to move with the times and embrace the
technological advancements in our industry. Technology allows us to complete deals with our clients in Singapore, the
UK, America and Australia as well as our valued clients locally and nationwide. Anything is now possible.²
ends