Professionally and personally, I've always been deeply involved in the human-animal relationship and ensuring that it's done really well.

Anyone familiar with the different stakeholders who have vested interests in animals knows that the human-animal world contains a lot of good wholesome heart-warming stuff - but it’s certainly not all warm fuzzies, holding hands and kumbaya smiles. The realities of animal-related politics, business needs, practicalities, egos, finances, individual-national-global sized issues, all amidst a raft of conflicting worldviews, create a complex web of stakeholders, conflicting agendas and legal landmines where a loss of money is just one of the consequences for getting it wrong.

In my previous career as a veterinarian, I advised people how to look after their animals and their animal businesses so that the animals, their owners, and their communities, were safe and happy. I now fulfil a similar role as a specialist animal law lawyer.

My entire career has been immersed in providing professional, pragmatic and effective solutions on animal-related issues.

• I have been the industry veterinarian working on the chain in the Affco freezing works, and the clinical veterinarian advising on every manner of species kept, farmed and produced within New Zealand.
• I added a law degree with the specific intent of working as an animal law specialist.
• My "style" combines the veterinary insights about the animals and varied owner interests, with many years of frontline animal law experience, to identify pragmatic solutions that are often overlooked.

I've worked as a prosecutor for the Ministry for Primary Industries in New Zealand, and as the State-wide Specialist in Australia. After a decade working in animal law enforcement I established Guardianz Animal Law.

• The previous prosecution and enforcement roles successfully prosecuting a multitude of animal-related matters involved, for example, issues of animal transport, biosecurity breaches, and corporate farming operations (e.g. remember the media around Mr Crafer and Milkpride?) - those roles provide critical pragmatic insights that now serve clients of Guardianz Animal Law.
• As a defence lawyer the roles have been equally diverse and successful dealing with a range of national animal welfare, food safety and animal products cases.
• Internationally, my roles include advising governments, representing multinational corporates in international forums, and working internationally as the key legal advisor on animal welfare matters involving judicial review of government.

Why did I become a defence lawyer? Irrespective of the circumstances, the client, or the animals involved, everyone deserves a fair hearing and they're more likely to get that with someone who knows how prosecution works, how it’s supposed to work, and how to fit real-world practicalities of the animal world alongside the paper animal law. For example:

• There are times when people fall short of fulfilling their responsibilities involving an animal - but sometimes they need help, not a hammer.
• Additionally, enforcement has a job to do and having worked as a prosecutor I know it's not always easy, but in my mind "deterrence" and state-sized powers should never be used simply to put numbers on the middle management's monthly report sheet.
• I understand a job well done and fair outcomes – I’m “less of a fan” of processes and agendas that overlook or wilfully ignore pragmatic resolution alternatives or forget that the numbers on the page are people.

Bottom line, I care about the people and animals, so my professional roles have never been just a job to me -  and I like that bit where you stand back with an owner or colleague and both agree “that was the right decision, and that’s the best outcome”.

Thank you for reading this far. I trust that by this point you've got a reasonable idea of why I chose the name "guardian" for my law practice, and to describe what I do :) Be safe, be well, Ian

Clients get the benefit of a multi-disciplined network of experts with Guardianz Animal Law.

• First of all, every email, query or file to Guardianz comes to me as the Principal of Guardianz and from there I use those real-world insights as a veterinarian, prosecutor and now animal law specialist to sort out how to best help you.
• Secondly, from my careers in law and veterinary medicine, and working across different legal jurisdictions, I now sit amongst a national, and international, network of skilled lawyers, consultants, advisors and other very experienced animal professionals.

That collective experience, and network of known experts and strategic alliances, built up over decades of working together, is applied to looking after the clients of Guardianz Animal Law.

The collective group of animal law experts associated with Guardianz Animal Law is obviously good news for clients wanting pragmatic, real-world solutions. From the outset, it was always part of the Guardianz Animal Law vision to have a non-siloed cohesive group of animal authorities combining their experience and insights to deliver outcomes that fit the paper law sensibly with the real-world practicalities.

I recall an occasion where I leaned over to my legal colleague and whispered (in reference to the opposing legal counsel)"cross-examine that"! after watching one of our experts provide evidence to the court complete with samples of hay, silage and straw, and a whiteboard. Shortly afterwards, the Judge suggested that the opposing counsel might want to have another talk with their client - the case was settled that afternoon instead of a week later.

"First equal"

Here's another thing. Clients taken on by Guardianz Animal Law are all "first equal". Some time ago I had a client who, with good intent, said "I'm sure this case isn't the biggest one you're dealing with". My reply to him was "everybody I look after is looked after on a "first equal" basis". Some cases take a long time to work through the relevant legal process, some are more complex, some require urgent attention and others get addressed tomorrow - but all clients that we take on are treated first equal. No exceptions.

Strong, authoritative and knowledgeable protection of clients and their interests

Guardianz Animal Law takes a pragmatic and fully committed approach to looking after our clients.

Subject to each client's instructions, we endeavour to resolve a matter without the need to go to court if possible. However, we have the ability to apply a strong, authoritative and extremely knowledgable stance to litigation when courtroom resolution is either unavoidable or appropriate. Most lawyers are very proud of their successes and happy to share them - we do too:

• Guardianz Animal Law and its associates have a record of success in animal welfare that includes the Judge's opening remarks to our client being "You're the kind of farmer New Zealand needs more of". It all went very well for our client from thereon with the client leaving the court without paying a dollar as a penalty.
• Our work and understanding of the food safety area resulted in our food company client avoiding potential fines of $750,000. After disentangling the complex web of food safety law and explaining what really happened to the Judge, our client paid just $10,000 for what we identified to the Court as simply an administrative oversight.
• Advocacy, litigation and input to lobbying activities of one of our multinational clients resulted in the corporate client protecting its trade market access and position for years, representing profits to its industry valued in the many millions annually.

Sentient Animal Law Foundation

Our commitment to the ongoing development of animal law means Guardianz Animal Law provides financial and professional support to the Sentient Animal Law Foundation.

Many stakeholders in the animal industry are aware of the shift to positive animal welfare standards based on the science of the Five Domains.

The Sentient Animal Law Foundation has identified a way to elevate standards of animal welfare that makes "positive animal welfare" "the law". Essentially, the law reform proposed by the Sentient Animal Law Foundation would retain people's responsibility not to be cruel to animals and extend that duty by requiring people to provide animals in their care with opportunities to experience positive states such as comfort, interest and pleasure.

The Principal of Guardianz Animal Law is one of the Directors and Co-Founders of the Sentient Animal Law Foundation, and you can view the proposed reform at www.sentientanimallaw.org