Malcolm McKenzie
Director and Notary Public
LL. B, BCom
Malcolm is a Director of Hewat Galt with Scot Williamson. He has been with the firm for more than 30 years and purchased the firm from the then owners in 2009. He started his legal career in Invercargill in 1986, initially practising in general law, with a particular focus on family and criminal matters. In the last 20 years he has focussed mainly on property law, commercial law, trusts, estates and wills.
Malcolm is also Southland’s most experienced Notary Public, having been appointed as a Notary Public in 2010.
Known for his open and approachable demeanour, Malcolm strives to resolve matters in a practicable manner, while providing professional, efficient and reliable legal and Notarial services to clients throughout Southland and across New Zealand.
Malcolm has served on the Rugby Southland Judicial Committee for over 20 years and is now a member of their appeals panel. Malcolm is a current member of Rotary, a former President of the Southland Branch of the NZ Law Society and was previously a President of the Invercargill Club.
In his spare time, Malcolm enjoys travel, tramping, going to music concerts and watching a variety of sports.
malcolm@hewatgalt.co.nz
Scott Williamson
Director
LL.M (Hons), LL. B (Hons), B.A. (Hons), B.Sc. PhD. (Philosophy)
Scott joined Hewat Galt in 2006. Since being in Invercargill he has largely focused on family and criminal law. He is a very familiar face down at the Invercargill District and Family Court.
His approach to dealing with clients is to be frank and direct. He gives his clients the full and honest truth about their situation before turning to give them the best possible representation.
In his spare time, Scott enjoys running and spending time with his family. He is a children’s football and cricket coach and an avid supporter of the Liverpool football club.
scott@hewatgalt.co.nz
William McKenzie
Lawyer
LL. B (Hons), B.Sc.
William first joined Hewat Galt in 2013 as an after-school office junior. Since then, he has worked with the firm throughout the holidays while studying towards his LLB and Bachelor of Science (Computer Science) at Otago University.
Admitted to the Bar in 2021, William now holds a full-time position at Hewat Galt as a Solicitor.
Outside of work, William enjoys listening to and collecting music, going to concerts and watching sports – particularly basketball. With his computer science background, he also enjoys all things technology related.
william@hewatgalt.co.nz
Judy Ladbrook
Senior Law Clerk
Judy has been with Hewat Galt since 1973. She started as a junior with Stout Hewat Binnie Howorth in 1973, then moved on to typist six months later. After leaving for a few years to have a family she returned to work at Hewat Galt as a legal executive, dealing with conveyancing matters, trusts, and wills.
Judy strives to provide prompt service and communicates regularly with her clients so they know what stage their matter is at.
Outside of work, Judy enjoys family, tramping, mountain biking, swimming, films, and wakeboarding and skiing when in her holiday home in Wanaka.
judy@hewatgalt.co.nz
Bonita Varcoe
Registered Legal Executive NZILE (Fellow)
Bonita joined Hewat Galt in 1992 as a Legal Executive after six years at another Invercargill law firm. She gained the Legal Executive Certificate of Attainment in 1992 and is a fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Legal Executives. Bonita works as the Estate Administrator and also runs the trust account.
Bonita prides herself on being friendly and approachable with all clients. When dealing with estate administration she likes to make the process run as smooth as possible to ensure that the beneficiaries have one less thing to worry about. Bonita tries to ensure most estates are wound up within six months, which enables the family to start dealing with the healing process after losing a loved one.
Outside of work, Bonita enjoys spending time in Central Otago, and socialising with friends.
bonita@hewatgalt.co.nz
Ginia McGearty
Legal Executive
Ginia is a Registered Legal Executive who has been working with Hewat Galt since May 2015. Ginia works mainly in Conveyancing.
Ginia and her husband live on a small farmlet with their school age children and enjoy being involved in their local community.
ginia@hewatgalt.co.nz
Tracy Kelly
Legal Executive
Tracy first worked for Hewat Galt in 1992, before leaving to start a family. She worked for a variety of law firms and obtained her Legal Executive qualification, before returning to Hewat Galt in 2024. Tracy has worked primarily in the fields of criminal and family law, though also has experience in commercial law and conveyancing.
Outside of work, Tracy loves spending time with her family, attending concerts, gardening and working out.
tracy@hewatgalt.co.nz
Marcie Reidy
Law Clerk/AML Compliance Officer
As our receptionist it is Marcie who will greet you when you contact us by phone or visit our office.
Marcie’s first job was at Cruickshank Pryde, where she developed her strong work ethic as an Office Junior, Word Processor Operator and relieving Secretary. Having worked in various industries since, she has now come full circle and joined Hewat Galt in 2024, bringing with her a wealth of corporate experience. Marcie welcomes your enquiries, which will be handled in a friendly, professional manner.
Marcie is experienced in the preparation of Wills, Enduring Powers of Attorney and other legal documents, assists Malcolm McKenzie with the preparation of Notarial documents and is also responsible for the firm’s Anti-money Laundering and Countering Finance of Terrorism Act 2009 compliance procedures.
When not working Marcie enjoys living “the quiet life” at home with her family, supporting her son’s sporting endeavours and exploring beautiful New Zealand.
marcie@hewatgalt.co.nz
