‘The employment team are well versed in all employment and health and safety matters, from board presentations to one-on-one advice at management level.’

‘Gillian Service and June Hardacre provide an excellent service. Always available and get back in touch shortly after.’

‘I cannot rate Gillian Service more highly. She offers measured, pragmatic and commercial advice, and provides her clients with excellent support and is engaging.’

‘The team is approachable and responsive to urgent matters. They develop a respectful and collegial working relationship.’

‘The team provides pragmatic, timely advice, and is not afraid to test their thinking rather than adhere blindly to a predetermined strategy for resolving a matter.’

‘We rely on Greg Cain’s understanding of our business and risk appetite, and ability to set out the options and advice in a way that laypeople can readily understand, particularly as we navigate an area of the law in a dispute resolution context we’ve not had a lot of exposure to previously.’

‘James Warren is truly an exceptional partner to work with. Not only is he responsive, but he adapts to meet our requirements. He also demonstrates a willingness to know more about our industry and business environment, which is invaluable.’

‘Greg Cain is very responsive, and I believe provides advice taking account of how we operate; that is, he understands our organisation in terms of the advice he provides.’

‘The team works well together. They are very available and personable with consistency of support and approach.’

‘Team members are quick to respond and breadth of expertise broad.’

‘Thorough and bespoke advice for many and varied requests for advice.’

‘They are very responsive, provide pragmatic advice, and good to work with.’

‘The employment team at DLA Piper are superb technically and can handle the most complex of issues. In saying that they are also willing to assist on minor matters and do it in such a way that is right-sized for the issue at hand. We use DLA Piper for all our employment matters.’

‘Carl Blake is an absolute standout, not only in the DLA team but across the NZ employment law landscape. His calm and pragmatic approach means matters get dealt with quickly and without the level of angst that often comes with the territory. He simply gets on with the job with a minimum amount of fuss and makes dealing with these matters far easier than it might otherwise be.’

‘Carl Blake is the employment lawyer partner that we engage with. He was introduced to us more than 10 years ago and since then he has been our go-to-person for almost all employments issues and matters in our group.’

‘Carl Blake is very professional, a good listener, commercially savvy and more importantly always available, amidst his busy schedule. This is crucial as most of the employment matters involving senior executive team members require urgent attention and without fail, Carl has never disappointed us for the last decade or so.’

‘Highly case-orientated team with pragmatic solutions during tough negotiations’

‘Team are super practical in advise, approachable and connected; if we speak with one person, we know the whole team are going to be across the issue.’

‘Alison Maelzer is the main partner we work with, and she is extremely responsive, efficient and very knowledgable. Nothing is too much trouble, and her advice gives me confidence.’

‘This practice engages in a true partnership with you. What makes them unique is there practical, down-to-earth advice, which is technically excellent but real. They have significant depth behind their answers which you can rely on.’

‘They are people you actually enjoy talking to. The key people have an excellent sense of humour and they make a point of being exceptionally available. They are there for you!’

‘Jim Roberts has significant knowledge he brings to any situation and is one of the best in the employment law field. I would trust his opinion on any matter and he gives you confidence.’

‘What makes Alison Maelzer stand out is her ability to ask you the right questions to get the best answers. Invaluable in terms of cutting to the chase. One of the best I have dealt with in considering all angles in a phone call without any heads up about what you are going to talk labour.’

‘The team is super knowledgeable, capable, and responds quickly.’

‘Everyone is very knowledgeable, they are very much people focused and very approachable and available. ’

‘I find the individuals I have worked with over the past 5 years able to provide no nonsense practical advice. They get rid of the legal jargon and help you understand the options available to you in a way that just makes sense!’

‘The depth of expertise within Lane Neaves team is amazing. It’s not just a one-person response. Where necessary the entire team is utilised to provide the specialist answers and responses. I have felt at ease to engage with Lane Neave on a variety of employment questions and issues for my company.’

‘Lane Neave is highly responsive in a timely manner. They apply critical thinking to all the opinions and advice they give.’

‘They listen and consider the client’s perspective with alacrity and a clear legal perspective providing excellent support in both advisory and litigious situations.’

‘Andrew Shaw is an outstanding practitioner. He is a wise and experienced legal mind, who provides incisive support and excellent service.’

‘Lane Neave provides big law firm quality at a much more affordable price. We especially appreciate their pragmatic approach to both advice and drafting and their willingness to package it in a way our board members can easily digest.’

‘We enjoy the relaxed and friendly style of the lawyers we use at Lane Neave across all levels. While they are all technically expert blackletter lawyers, they have taken the time to understand our organisation and our drivers and concerns.’

‘Capability is second-to-none. The employment law team are commercially astute and provide operationally feasible options to our complex business.’

‘Having an in-house legal team, we are not after the run of the mill basic advice and Russell McVeagh always delivers advice on complex matters with options that we can realistically implement.’

‘Emma Peterson is an exceptional employment practitioner. She is always pragmatic in her advice and understands the needs of our business. She breaks down complex legal concepts into easily digestible pieces that our business can understand and provides practical, commercially appropriate options and recommendations.’

‘Emma Peterson is always available to pick up the phone and chat. She is responsive. She knows her area of expertise well.’

‘The team works together well, interchangeable from a customer perspective. Depth of experience in the industry and our company are a major benefit.’

‘Extremely experienced and knowledgeable, responses are usually immediate given vast knowledge base and ability to quickly get to the core legal issues.’

‘Very efficient, relevant and pragmatic.’

‘Both Kylie Dunn and Emma Peterson are outstanding in the 15 years plus we have been dealing with them.’

‘The Tompkins Wake employment team has supported us across a wide range of employment issues, from policy updates through to personal grievance claims.’

‘Diversity of competencies and skills.’

‘Knowledge and practical advice, they look to provide a level of ethical fairness to each party.’

‘A highly trusted and experienced team.’

‘Depth of knowledge and experience provides credibility and confidence.’