Hamilton lawyer Karin Thomas has been appointed a member of the Real Estate Agents Authority, replacing David Russell.

Her appointment, from 1 July 2016, is for a three-year term.

Ms Thomas was admitted in September 1997 and holds a law degree and post-graduate diploma in strategic leadership and management from the University of Waikato.

She has worked in both private practice and as an in-house counsel in Auckland, Timaru and Wellington, and is now in private practice at Karin Thomas Lawyers Ltd in Hamilton.

Her areas of expertise include farm succession planning, asset protection, property law, trusts and company law. She is a member of the Institute of Directors and serves on two charitable trust boards.