DLA Piper New Zealand’s employment practice is recognised for handling complex, multi-jurisdictional mandates, frequently advising on global workforce restructurings, international secondments, and employment considerations in cross-border transactions. Practice head Laura Scampion is widely regarded as a go-to adviser for both domestic and multinational clients, including APAC-listed insurers and major professional services firms. Carl Blake complements the team with expertise spanning human rights and privacy law, collective bargaining negotiations, and workplace health and safety.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘The DLA Piper New Zealand employment team is responsive, practical, and consistently delivers clear, business-focused advice. They understand the needs of international clients and provide reliable support, working seamlessly with in-house teams.’
- ‘Carl Blake is calm, strategic, and highly commercial. We value his keen attention to detail, pragmatic advice, and ability to navigate sensitive and complex issues with sound judgement.’
- ‘Julia MacGibbon is sharp, responsive, and communicates with clarity. An experienced litigator, she inspires confidence when preparing for and strategising around disputes.’
- 'What sets Carl Blake apart is his calm demeanour, keen attention to detail, prompt responsiveness, and commercially savvy approach.'
Key clients
- Foodstuffs merger
- Yamaha Motor Co Ltd – Acquisition of Robotics Plus Limited
- Kono NZ LP
- OCS Group NZ Limited
- Auckland Council
- KPMG
- Torrens Global Education Services
- Block Inc
- Westpac
- Harrison Grierson
- HEB Construction
- TBWA
Work highlights
Advised Kono NZ LP (an associated business of Wakatū Corporation) on all employment aspects of the sale of its seafood division to Talley's Limited. This included employee consultation, contractual drafting and negotiations. This was a very complex transaction involving consultation with multiple groups of employees and managing ongoing union concerns.
Instructed to act for OCS in New Zealand in relation to day-to-day employment relations advice, including its ongoing holiday pay remediation project. This has involved working closely with OCS's payroll provider to review all aspects of OCS's methods of calculating and paying entitlements under the Holidays Act.
Advised Foodstuffs North Island Limited on its proposed merger with Foodstuffs South Island Limited, which was a merger of two code companies under part 15 of the Companies Act 1993.
Lawyers
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Laura Scampion
Other key lawyers
Carl Blake; Julia MacGibbon