Angela Beazer is a high flying lawyer – she must be, as she established one of the country’s first aviation law firms – but she’s now going to ground with a new enterprise, developing a hydroponics business.
The founder of Southland-based aviation law boutique AMC Legal Services, she has been an aviation law specialist for many years, including working part time for the Civil Aviation Authority, but is now the recipient of a $2.5 million loan from the Provincial Growth Fund to develop her lettuce-growing hydroponics business.
>> Check the latest law jobs on New Zealand’s focused law jobs network
Now, however, it is time to change careers as she moves to develop the new business.
“But now I’m ready for change. I’ve been trying to juggle both, but they’re not complementary,” she told the NZ Herald.
“I have a life many people would envy. I can work to my own schedule. I can be there to pick up my daughter from school, but as I say, they (lawyer/lettuce growing) are not complementary. I could not give 100 per cent to both. If I do something I like to do it properly.
“I’m quite looking forward to focusing just on the lettuces.”
With her partner she had moved from Wellington to Invercargill, but being frustrated attempting to locate a lifestyle block to buy they bought a hydroponics setup that lead to the development of their new business, Southern Hydroponics, which has now taken on a further 30 people and the lettuces have grown to capsicums, tomatoes and other vegetables.
In particular, she became interested in vertical hydroponics systems, which involves plants growing in stacked trays on top of each-other permitting a higher production rate and greater efficiencies.
“I think sometimes, ‘why am I doing it?’ But you’re working at waist height — you’re not having to bend and I quite like working under cover, but still feeling like you’re working outdoors.
“On the other hand, this is a 24/7, 365-day operation. Someone has to be here watching all the time. There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes.”
It’s a long way from the aviation law days, but despite the challenges it has become a turning point that has created a new direction where legal skills still have a clear application.
[adrotate banner=”101″]
[adrotate banner=”107″]
- Legal Ethics Whiplash 2026: DOJ Moves to Block State Bars from Disciplining Its Lawyers — Plus a Massive Spike in Judicial Complaints
LawFuel Staff Big Law partners and in-house counsel, take note: the rules governing attorney discipline are shifting fast under the current administration,… Read more: Legal Ethics Whiplash 2026: DOJ Moves to Block State Bars from Disciplining Its Lawyers — Plus a Massive Spike in Judicial Complaints - Billable Hours vs. Billion‑Dollar Bots – Legora and the New Economics of Law
A two‑year‑old Swedish startup has just become one of the most valuable legal tech businesses on the planet—and it is using that war chest to plant its flag squarely in the US legal market. Legora’s $550 million Series D at a $5.55 billion valuation is not just another exuberant AI round; it is a blunt message to law firm leaders that the window for treating AI as a side project has closed. Legora’s pitch is disarmingly simple. Built on top of large language models, its platform targets the work that eats most of a junior lawyer’s life: research, document review, contract drafting and due diligence. The company claims tens of thousands of legal professionals using the product daily, across some 800 customers in more than 50 markets, including heavy‑hitting firms like Bird & Bird, Cleary Gottlieb, White & Case, Linklaters, Goodwin, Dentons and advisers such as Deloitte. - Australia Law – Wotton Kearney Extends Health Law Practice With Major Recruitment
Wotton Kearney has made a major move to extend its health law and insurance law expertise with the recruitment of experienced health… Read more: Australia Law – Wotton Kearney Extends Health Law Practice With Major Recruitment - Legal AI – Herbert Smith Partners with Legora as “Intelligent Legal Colleague”
Leading global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is adopting Legora as its firmwide general-purpose AI platform, marking a significant step in… Read more: Legal AI – Herbert Smith Partners with Legora as “Intelligent Legal Colleague” - Stinson Expands Intellectual Property & Technology Practice with Addition of Two Partners in TexasStinson LLP is pleased to welcome Stewart Mesher and Darlene Ghavimi as partners in the firm’s Intellectual Property & Technology Practice Division, further strengthening the firm’s… Read more: Stinson Expands Intellectual Property & Technology Practice with Addition of Two Partners in Texas
- Cryptocurrency and Securities Law: Where Do Regulators Draw the Line?Article source: Sofi.com The rapid evolution of digital assets continues to test the boundaries of securities law across major jurisdictions. What began… Read more: Cryptocurrency and Securities Law: Where Do Regulators Draw the Line?
- Crafting Your Legal Career: Strategies to Stand Out in a Competitive Market
Article contributor – Monster Resumes Building a successful legal career is a journey that requires careful planning, ongoing learning, and strategic thinking.… Read more: Crafting Your Legal Career: Strategies to Stand Out in a Competitive Market
