Jennifer is an experienced and extremely well regarded employment law expert who has acted for a large number of national and international corporates. She leads the employment team in Auckland, and was named by Chambers Global as one of the leading employment lawyers in New Zealand in their 2007/08 and 2008/09 guides.

Jennifer advises clients on the full range of employment issues including corporate restructuring, employment agreements, disciplinary and termination procedures, ACC, human rights, privacy, restraints of trade, industrial action (including strikes and lockouts), health and safety (including workplace stress), good faith, collective bargaining issues and superannuation.

Jennifer has extensive litigation experience in the Employment Relations Authority, Employment Court, District Court and High Court. She participates in a large number of mediations and private negotiations on behalf of clients, particularly in relation to personal grievance claims. She is an expert in contract negotiations and drafting and advises on all areas of employers" policies and procedures.

Some of Jennifer's major projects

• Representing both private and public sector clients in relation to claims regarding:
  • unlawful strikes, including strikes in essential services
  • unlawful interference with trade, business and employment, inducement of breach of contract and breach of statutory duty
  • good faith and consultation, including the concept of "meaningful consultation"
  • implementation of restructuring proposals and the application of selection criteria in downsizing situations
  • breach of contract and application for judicial review of orders made by the Employment Relations Authority
  • jurisdictional issues relating to the secondment overseas of New Zealand executives
  • stress claims by employees, including prison officers
  • restraint of trade and deeds of confidentiality
  • interim reinstatement
• Representing employers in defending personal grievance and dispute claims in the Employment Relations Authority and Employment Court
• Representing corporates in the District Court in relation to OSH prosecutions for alleged breaches of the Health and Safety in Employment Act
• Advising on corporate restructuring, including drafting proposals for consultation, designing communication strategies and implementing new structures
• Advising on national and multi-national mergers and acquisitions, including negotiating employment aspects of transactions, drafting commercial provisions and preparing strategies for transfer of employees
• Assisting employers to develop a comprehensive suite of employment documentation for the workplace, including employment agreements, human resources policies, health and safety policies, codes of conduct and employee participation programmes
• Undertaking and drafting health and safety compliance programmes for corporates
• Advising employer clients on implementing disciplinary and dismissal processes in relation to a broad range of suspected employee misconduct, including in respect of alleged or suspected fraud, corruption or criminal offending. Jennifer has advised major financial institutions (both New Zealand based, and international organisations) in respect of employment issues arising in cases of suspected employee misconduct, including rogue trading, and conspiracy to commit robbery.
• Providing advice in relation to the Official Information Act and Privacy Act
• Advising on employee benefits, remuneration and incentives
• Providing advice in relation to establishing superannuation schemes and in relation to KiwiSaver obligations
• Advising on all aspects of collective bargaining and negotiations, including the development and implementation of effective collective bargaining strategies
• Providing advice on holidays and parental leave issues
• Acting as counsel for a major New Zealand employer in Employment Court litigation where a former senior level employee sought in excess of $5m for an alleged constructive dismissal. This case, which was ultimately resolved out of Court, contained a number of potentially novel aspects of law, and included one of the largest claims in monetary terms by an employee against their employer to have been taken in the Court
• Acting as the lead advisor to an international airline in respect of all of their New Zealand related employment matters, including advising them on personal grievances and other disputes, and employment related operational and commercial matters

Memberships and directorships

• "Chance for firms to get creative", New Zealand Herald, March 2009 (click here for a copy of the article)
• "Union challenge bosses claims on grievance cases", New Zealand Herald, Jan 2008 (click here for a copy of the article) 
• "Pointing out an employee's shortcomings a must", Human Resources Magazine, Dec 2007/Jan 2008 (co-written with Isobel Foote, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) (click here for a copy of the article) 
• "Employer's disciplinary investigations under fire by Employment Court "- The International Employment Lawyer - Winter 2008 (co-written with Isobel Foote, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) (click here for a copy of the article)
• "Dotting the i's and crossing the t's"- The Retail Wrap - November 2007 (click here for a copy of the article)
• "The Employment Lawyer's Role in Mergers and Acquisitions" - Auckland District Law Society - 20 August 2007 (click here for a copy of the presentation)
• Update on recent law developments - HRINZ - 22 August 2007 (co-presented with Vanessa Lakeman, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) (click here for a copy of the presentation)
• Upcoming: "The employment lawyer's role in mergers and acquisitions" , Auckland District Law Society's Employment Law Conference, August 2007
• 3rd Annual HR Directors' Forum - Employment Relations - A Legal Update - 24 July 2007 (co-presented with Aaron Lloyd, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) (click here for a copy of the presentation)
• Client KiwiSaver Seminar - 28 June 2007 (co-presented with Joanne Dunn, Aaron Lloyd and Shannon Kelly, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) (click here for a copy of the presentation)
• HRINZ KiwiSaver Seminar - 26 June 2007 (co-presented with Aaron Lloyd and Shannon Kelly, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) (click here for a copy of the presentation) 
• "Business dealings with employees - risky business?", Human Resources Magazine (article)
• "A road map to effective individual employment agreements", LexisNexis 2nd Annual Employment Law & Human Resources Conference, Auckland, May 2007
• "Understanding an employer's obligations and legal duties regarding KiwiSaver", BrightStar Implementing KiwiSaver Mastercourse, Auckland, 26 April 2007
• "Drafting watertight individual and collective agreements, 2007",  BrightStar 21st Annual Premier Industrial Relations Conference, Auckland, 6 March 2007 (click here for a copy of the presentation)
• "Employment related injunctions: where to file?", NZ Lawyer, LexisNexis, 6 October 2006 (article, co-authored with Aaron Lloyd, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts) (click here for a copy of this article)
• "Hot Topics in Employment Law", Human Resources Institute if New Zealand (HRINZ), Auckland, 27 July 2006 (seminar, co-presented with Aaron Lloyd and Shannon Kelly, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts)
• "Drafting watertight individual and collective agreements", BrightStar 20th Annual Premier Industrial Relations Conference, Auckland, 7 March 2006 (workshop, co-presented with Aaron Lloyd, Minter Ellison Rudd Watts)

International legal directory mentions

• Leading individual - Chambers Global - 2009/2010
• Leading individual - Chambers Global - 2008/2009
• Leading individual - Chambers Global - 2007/2008
• Listed as one of the pre-eminent employment law practitioners in the world in the Guide to the World's Leading Labour & Employment Lawyers

HomeAboutPeopleExpertiseNewsPublicationsCareersnoordinarysummerCommunityGlobalContactSitemapTerms of Use