Our People
 Ronald David Evans, Partner
LLB (Canterbury)
Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (London)
Past Member of the International Bar Association
Ron Evans has been practising law in Hamilton since 1964 and is one of the founding partners of Evans Bailey. He first worked for the Maori Affairs Department in Christchurch for three years while studying law. He then joined Alan Houston in Hamilton and practised in the Courts for seven years before establishing Evans Bailey & Co with Gerald Bailey in 1971. Since then he has been engaged in general practice with particular emphasis on the following areas of work:
Ron is a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (London), a part-time horticulturist and kiwifruit exporter, and a foundation member of the Hamilton Kiwanis Service Club. He is a past board member of the Waikato Diocesan School and past president of the Hamilton Club. Ron is also interested in Western European languages and art — and Asian and Pacific culture, customs and travel. He also has wide sporting interests, including active participation in golf, tennis, and athletics.
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 Andrew Gordon Fletcher, Partner
LLB(Hons) (Canterbury)
Andrew joined Evans Bailey in 1981 and became partner in 1984. He has experience in a wide range of commercial, rural and residential property transactions, including subdivisions and developments. Andrew acts for a substantial number of commercial and business clients, with particular emphasis on business sales and purchases, structure and financing. Over the years Andrew has also developed a speciality in advising in relation to the establishment and management of family trusts.
Andrew’s expertise is in:
Andrew is currently on the Board of Hamilton Junior Cricket Association, and Inter-Country Adoption New Zealand (ICANZ), which aids families who wish to adopt a child internationally. He is an enthusiastic sports follower, a passion not necessarily shared by his wife Kaye, sometimes coaching the junior sports teams in which one of their three sons is involved.
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 Catherine Margaret Starr, Associate
LLB (Otago)
Catherine graduated in 1991 and was admitted to the bar the following year. She began her law career in January 1995 with E. Sellars & Co, a legal firm in Wellsford, which catered to the farming and business community. Catherine came to Evans Bailey in 1996, and was made an Associate in 2000.
Catherine is the firm’s specialist in Family Law and Employment Law.
Her other areas of expertise include:
Catherine has a keen interest in sports, with a particular passion for cricket and rugby, the latter taking up much of her free time during the Waikato club rugby season, due to her administration role with the senior and age-grade teams of Melville Rugby & Sports Club.
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 Gerald Bailey, Consultant
LLB (Canterbury)
Honorary Doctorate (Waikato)
Companion of the Queen’s Service Order (QSO)
Gerald was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1963. He was a partner in the firm of King Gerrard & Co, Pukekohe, from 1965 to 1971, when he joined Ron Evans to establish Evans Bailey & Co. Specialising, initially, in litigation work, Gerald later developed a substantial general practice. Gerald retired from the partnership of Evans Bailey in 2004, when his part-time roles as Director of the University of Waikato Foundation and Chairman of Directors of WaikatoLink Limited, the University’s commercialisation company, made further inroads into his working time. He continues to be a consultant to the firm, however, maintaining contacts with clients built up over the course of 40 years.
Gerald specialises in:
Gerald is married to Jenny and they have four children and 11 grandchildren. He was formerly Chancellor of the University of Waikato and has been a holder of various offices in Waikato Anglican Diocese. Being an avid cricket fan, he has also been a Board member of New Zealand Cricket and has had a lengthy involvement with Northern Districts Cricket Association, being the current President (since 1996). His other interests include tramping, sailing, skiing, and playing contract bridge.
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Philip Gardyne, Solicitor
BSc (Waikato), BBS (in Accountancy) (Massey) LLB(Hons) (Waikato)
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science;
- Bachelor of Business Studies (in Accountancy);
- Bachelor of Laws with Honours (First Class).
Areas of Practice
Phil joined Evans Bailey in 2007. He advises clients in respect to:
- Business and Commercial transactions;
- Company Law;
- Corporate Governance;
- Estate Planning;
- Property transactions; and
- Security and Finance Law.
Other notable experience
Phil was a Detective for over ten years in the New Zealand Police and has extensive experience in investigating and prosecuting all types of criminal offending. His specialist area of expertise is serious fraud, having spent five years in the Corporate Fraud Office.
Phil has published a paper on shareholder rights and remedies in the Waikato Law Review. He has lectured and trained staff in investigation techniques.
Email: phil@evansbailey.co.nz
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 Donna Parrish, Registered Legal Executive
NZILE
Donna is a conveyancing specialist and has practised as a Registered Legal Executive since 1995 when she was registered with the New Zealand Institute of Legal Executives.
Donna specialist areas are:
She joined Evans Bailey in March 2004 after returning to the work force following parental leave. Donna began her career as a search and registration agent, and later worked as a secretary and Legal Executive in other Hamilton firms before joining Evans Bailey. She is experienced in all areas of residential conveyancing transactions and specialises in minor and complex sub-divisional work.
Donna enjoys gardening and rugby league. Her husband David proudly supports her career and she cherishes the time she has with their young son.
All of our staff can be contacted on: 07 838 2459 and emailed at lawyers@evansbailey.co.nz
In addition, we have five excellent administrative staff members who ensure Evans Bailey runs smoothly and efficiently.
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