VanassaMcGoldrick

Pr om o ti ng Ab i l it ie s

Vanassa McGoldrick

As CEOofTiahoTrust Iinterviewed Vanassa McGoldrick.I have known her forover20yearsandremembered the firsttimeseeing herwhenI was12years old.We were both getting on thesameplane (we both hada disability)and shegave mea charmingsmile.She hasalsobeena ChairpersonofTiahoTrust.

I startedbyasking herwhatherimpairment was.She replied“it’s calledNail-patella Syndromeanextremelyrarecondition.Tomy knowledge I wasthefirstperson bornwith itinNewZealand.Itaffectsyourkneecaps, somepeople arebornwith partial,deformed ornokneecaps,abnormalfingerortoe nails, and thisisa definiteindicator that youhave thegene. I wasbornwithnokneecapsor cartilages,noquadricepsmusclesinmy thighs,which meantthat without these,I couldn’t walk.”

Her parents firstadvice from doctorswas to amputateher legs as shewould notbeable to walk. Herparents didn’t agreewiththatadvice and sought specialist advice in England. Varioussurgeries were performedinEngland and NewZealandover theyearsandsheis still walking.

I askedabout hercareer, I rememberher oncesayingthather parentsencouraged her when quiteyoungtobecoming thetypist fromhell. Shestartedtherendition of her vocational journey“Iwas 16 when Iwanted tobecomea lawyer andwas at high school whereI wastoldthat therewerenoAccessible Universities in NewZealand.Therefore mychances of pursuingthat careerwere zero.I wastoldforgetthedream of going to Universityandbeinga lawyer, learntotype. So, Ithought if that is allthat I could be then I wouldbeTHEBEST typist.

Vanassawas aStenographer for3 yearsat the WhangareiDistrict Courthouse andwhen shewas 21 yearsold,shetookher 130words perminuteskillstoLondon.She saidshe didn’t have a problem gettingemployment. “It wasabout my skills notmycrutches. Most employerswhenthey lookatyou turningup ataninterviewallthey seeisthedisability soitisimportantthat youcan proveyou are betterthananyoneelse forthe position”.

Onher return to NewZealandherdesire tobea lawyerneverwentaway, so she trained as a LegalExecutivedoing papers via correspondenceonproperty, estates and litigation.

Vanassa didLegalExecutiveworkfor 20 yearsincludingworkingfor HendersonReeves whosupported herher dreamofbeinga lawyer.MarkHenniganfromtheLaw Faculty atOtago Universityagreed to help by allowing her to workfrom a distance forthemajority ofthelawdegree.This wasnotpossibleat anyUniversityatthetime.Allshe needed was someonetotapethelectures andsend them to her, whichwas what they did.Inher firstyearshepassedoneexamwith over 90%. Sheachievedherlawdegreeand in2012was admitted to theBar, whilestill working30 hoursperweekatHenderson& Reeves.

Vanassaopened herown lawfirmin July 2019 specialisinginfamilylaw,witha particularpassionfor helpingthose whoneed legal aid. Each year sherunsa Will Special and donates money to local charities.For thepast 2 yearsshehassupportedtheMiriamCentre – thisyearitwill be Hospice– so watchoutfor herwillspecialinJulythisyearwithwillsat half price.

Vanassahasgonefroma typist from hell to a lawyer from heaven.

MCGoldrick Law

We specialise in Family Law, dealing with Care of Children matters, Family Violence and Relationship Property. We can also sort out your will and powers of attorney for property and personal care and welfare. In situations where a loved one has lost mental capacity and there is an urgent need to place them in a resthome or deal with their property, we can assist you with the court applications. We also assist with disability law and ACC claims.

Come and see our friendly team for all of your family legal needs. You can contact us on 09 438 4999. Our offices are located at 8/58 Bank Street (in the arcade between the Quest Apartments on Bank Street and the back of Farmers).