A fast-paced journey from Law School to startup
For alumnus Robert Sheetz, staying in Auckland to study Law wasn’t an option—he wanted the full student experience away from home—so he chose to study a conjoint LLB and BCOM majoring in accounting at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, and quickly took to the city’s culture and vibrant student night life.
“I loved my student experience. Living away from home and transitioning from university halls to flatting was incredible. Wellington was an amazing city for this journey—everything is within walking (or skating) distance,” he says.
You might have seen Robert skating down Lambton Quay, laptop in hand, on his way to the Old Government Buildings for lectures. He remembers these times fondly—his favourite study nook in the Law library, the friendships formed during late-night study sessions, and the Law School’s many social events and perks. “From the Law balls to the $3 Export pints at the Old Bailey with your law card—those were good times.”
It wasn’t always smooth sailing though. Juggling a conjoint degree and working part-time as a trainee accountant to fund his studies, Robert found studying Law challenging. “At law school you’re amongst smart and hard-working students—it means you feel like you constantly need to prove yourself, which for me was a positive driver. I’m glad I saw it through.”
Robert developed a strong work ethic during this time and believes it has served him well so far in his career. “There was no short cutting law study, so it really meant you had to learn how to sit down and grind out work when you needed to,” he says. Critical thinking, problem solving, and time management also played a huge part in his student journey.
In his fifth year, when the time came to consider his next steps, Robert sought advice from his tax lecturer, Emeritus Professor John Prebble, known for blending law and accounting in his lectures. Professor Prebble suggested Robert apply for graduate positions at the ‘Big Four’ Accounting firms, which would enable him to pursue his Legal Professional and Chartered Accountancy (CA) certificates.
The following year, in 2019—after a quick detour via Mammoth, California, to check out the ski season—Robert embarked on his next chapter as a graduate in Deloitte’s Indirect Tax team.
Since then, Robert’s trajectory has gathered pace. After his first year as a graduate, he moved to the Research & Development Tax Incentives team and was fast-tracked to a management position—after just three years—working with some of New Zealand’s top technology companies, from Dawn Aerospace, Halter, and 2degrees.
In 2022, Robert joined tech startup Comply Pro, one of New Zealand's faster-growing Software as a Service (SaaS) companies. He is now the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), responsible for leading the finance and legal operations, capital strategy, planning, budgeting, and internal process and policies.
Comply Pro provides digital compliance and safety software products to the hospitality and construction industries. Its mission is to help businesses protect their people, customers and brand—with over 2,500 customers, Comply Pro has some of New Zealand’s largest companies as customers. Robert is proud to be supporting Comply Pro on its mission.
“My time at Comply Pro has accelerated my learning—it has been a crash course in all things SaaS, technology, business, and finance leadership. I am proud to have contributed to Comply Pro being recognized in the Deloitte Fast 50 last year.”
Comply Pro is now expanding into North America, and Robert spent four months last year helping build the team in Toronto.
Looking back, Robert feels a great sense of satisfaction. "My studies and university jobs have shaped my career—from Deloitte to becoming the CFO of a fast-growing NZ tech company. None of that would have been possible without the LLB badge.”
This ‘LLB badge’ is used daily in his work. “I use my legal skills for vetting documents, proofing, and assessing the risk profile of business decisions. I know just enough to know when we need to call in an external lawyer to provide proper advice—working at Deloitte also helped me hone this lens.”
Of course, there are many other happy memories in this fast-paced journey. Robert met his soon-to-be bride Abbie in the student halls in his first year, and one of his groomsmen while cramming for internals in the law library.
Does Robert have any ‘pearls of wisdom’ for students embarking on a Law journey?
“Stick at it,” he says, “some days it feels tough—and you want to quit—but trust me, Uni goes from feeling like it takes forever, to suddenly being 10 years ago…. I have yet to meet anyone who regrets getting their law degree.”
Robert hopes his journey into the fast-paced world of startups will inspire students to study law and think outside the box. “Studying law really is a whole lot more than just becoming a lawyer.”
Read more alumni stories here.