With a love of Dunedin and Central Otago, and a twin sister lawyering in Dunedin, where else would you expect to find Sharon Chandra but commuting between her home in Auckland’s Mt Wellington and her office kilometres across the city in Takapuna.
- Name
- Sharon Preeti (Sharon) Chandra
- Born
- Fiji.
- Age
- 30.
- Entry to law
- Graduated LLB from Otago University in 2010. Admitted in 2011.
- Workplace
- Senior Solicitor at Turner Hopkins, Takapuna, Auckland.
- Speciality area
- Family law, trusts and estate litigation.
A senior solicitor at Turner Hopkins, Fiji-born Sharon says it is “great” her married sister Shayne Milne lives in Dunedin and works at Anderson Lloyd “because it gives me an opportunity to keep going back there and see the place…”
“We have lived all over New Zealand and seen a lot of the country, but the lower South Island is one of my favourites…”
Living with partner Alec in Mt Wellington, and with her parents about 15 minutes down the road, Sharon appreciates the flexibility of hours at Turner Hopkins, being able to miss most peak traffic by starting work about 7 am and finishing between 3:30pm and 4pm.
Partner Alec was a personal trainer for about seven years before going back to university and starting a new career in business client services at a wholesale food company.
“I’m really into my fitness and that’s given us a common area of interest…Alec decided to do something completely different…
“I’m a gym person, four times a week and it keeps me sane…I’m also into weight training which surprises people because I am quite petite…I look after my fitness and health…I don’t do outside sports – there’s not enough hours in the day…
“Travel, fashion, fitness and wine are my main hobbies – wine could be a little further up the list…
“I enjoy learning about and drinking wine…When we were in America we did a wine tour of Napa Valley in California and Summerville Valley in South Carolina…It was absolutely beautiful, learning about different wines in a different country…
“We have done a lot of Central Otago wine tours and love Central Otago pinot… Mt Difficulty Roaring Meg is probably my favourite…A wine cellar is something I’d like to have at home and would have to do some renovations on our house so I wouldn’t rule it out…
“I’m not as well travelled as I would like…Alec and I try to do one big trip a year…We have done America, Thailand, Tahiti and Singapore…
“At the end of year we have a big trip booked to go to India with other family members and also spend some time in Vietnam…I have no family interests in India…Our family were two or three generations in Fiji so we don’t really have any family in India and do not have too much of a cultural tie to India…It feels just like any country in the world I’m going to…
“Europe is one of the big things on my bucket list and every year I say that’s what we are going to do but other things keep coming up, like this year it’s the India trip…Europe is on back burner but I said to Alec that’s definitely the one we are doing after India…”
Sharon’s Dad, formerly an air traffic controller for 20 years, is now an area manager in the nursing industry and her mother has a Bachelor’s degree in Consumer and Applied Sciences.
“Mum was keen on Shayne and I going to Otago University, where she got her degree…”
The first lawyer in the family – sister Shayne was admitted after Sharon and two uncles who are lawyers started law at a later stage – she knew throughout high school she wanted to be a lawyer – “since about the fourth form at Howick College…”
“In one of our English classes we did a mock litigation trial and while it has no resemblance to real practice it got the ball rolling and piqued my interest…I knew that’s what I wanted to do, geared all my papers at high school towards it and then went off and did it at uni…
“Alec is into jazz and blues – he’s very much into Miles Davis - has a record player and massive vinyl record collection, including a lot of stuff from the 1950s and 60s that takes up a lot of space…
“I’m not overly musical, I like mainstream pop, and I’ve started to develop an appreciation for jazz and blues, which I’ve never been exposed to it before so I’m very much in the learning phase…
“I love reading legal fiction and am a big fan John Grisham, Michael Connelly, Lee Child…It’s so different and much more exhilarating than the legal files I read…
“Grisham is one of my favourite authors of all time, every time a new book comes out I get my hands on it…I’m reading Lee Child’s A Wanted Man (the 17th book in the Jack Reacher series) at the moment…
“We don’t do movies much but we’re into TV series and we are all up to date on House of Cards, Breaking Bad, Suits and Game of Thrones…
“With a heavy heart I have to say we don’t have a pet, yet…Alec and I want to get a golden retriever very badly and it always gets put on back burner, but we have said unequivocally that when we get back from India and Vietnam early next year we are putting our name on a list to get one…
“I always wanted one when growing up…My sister did too and she went ahead and got one, who is about a year old now…I know how much work a dog is but I still want a golden retriever…
“I’m also hoping to upgrade my Toyota Avensis shortly to something more luxurious, like a Lexus or a Mercedes…
“I’m a fashion lover and have always been into styling, makeup and clothes, so I would end up in the fashion industry as an alternative career…Probably working at a magazine or as a fashion editor…It’s always been a side interest of mine…
“I’m very much a mainstream shopper at places such as Country Road and Witchery…
“I’m not so much into designers but Anna Wintour, editor in chief of Vogue since 1988, is just such an amazing person…She’s is up there as my hero…
“And she would definitely be a dinner guest, along with Barack Obama - his approach to work and life is something to be admired…
“I get into the kitchen when I am entertaining and try to put on a bit of a show for guests…Recently I made a beef bourguignon and coq au vin, which was quite nice, but don’t let that fool you into thinking I’m a kitchen goddess…And in terms of every day cooking there’s not the same effort…
“We would absolutely have a Central Otago pinot…Probably Roaring Meg, but any Mt Difficulty pinot…"
Like many young lawyers Sharon has done her share of voluntary work at her local Citizens Advice Bureau – hers in Glen Innes, an eye-opening experience dealing with a different clientele to what she has now.
“You are trying to give back something to the community…If people call me I always give them the time of day, even if they not going to instruct me or I can’t help them…There’s not enough information available about how to initiate the legal process and where to go for help…Often pointing people in right direction means a lot to them…”
In six years of practice one case stands out so far for Sharon.
“Quite early on in my career I was doing a protection order for a client and it was going to a hearing…There was a very senior lady barrister on the other side – I’m not going to say who it was - and leading up to the hearing she was telling me my client’s case had no merit, and there was no chance of her winning…”
“It got to the point I was completely doubting I had advised my client properly…We got to the hearing and not only did we win, we got an order for costs of about $7,000 or $8,000…”
“What that taught me was there are more senior lawyers out there, but don’t let that question your own judgement…It got me questioning myself and whether what I was doing was right, or if I should be telling my client to withdraw her application…”
“It cemented for me that you really need to trust your own instincts and your own judgment…”