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Anna Fitzgibbon Partner
BA/LLB,MBS

My passion for social justice has always been of great benefit in my specialist area of employment law. When assisting and guiding businesses or individuals in what are normally quite stressful situations, my primary objective is finding solutions that are fair and easy to understand. I am a qualified Mediator which enables me to facilitate a resolution when the parties in a dispute are unable to do so.

A lot of lawyers go straight into practice without life skills, and end up beavering away in a back room. That’s not real law to me. After several years in various law firms, I realised the only thing that was keeping me where I worked was job security. And that clinched it. It was time to make the break and set up a practice that reflected my own values.

Lawworks was the result. An environment that’s client-centric, de-mystifies the law, delivers quality work and is an enjoyable place to work.
I practice the law that fires my passion, and work alongside people who feel the same way about their specialist area of law. It’s a pleasure to work with people that I respect so highly.

I’ve been on the Employment Law Committee and the Council of the Auckland District Law Society, and the Employment Law Subcommittee of the New Zealand District Law Society.

I’m a member of the Auckland Women Lawyers Association and currently one of their mentors for young women lawyers. In 2000 I was appointed a part time Member of the Refugee Status Appeals Authority and sat whenever I could during my 5 year tenure. In 2001 I was appointed to the Advisory Group to the NZ Government on EEO issues.
I am also involved in coaching and training new practitioners. In 2003, 2004 and 2006, I was on the Faculty of the NZLS Litigation skills Programme involved in teaching lawyers advocacy skills.This year I am an adjunct Lecturer at the College of Law teaching the on line Litigation module to one of the groups of law graduates seeking to become lawyers. I regularly present seminars to the legal profession. In 2005 I presented at the biannual NZLS Employment Law Conference in Wellington and in 2006 at the inaugural ADLS Employment Law Conference in Auckland.
From 2004-2006 I was a Board member of the netball franchise, The Northern Force.

Areas of expertise:

Email: anna@lawworksnz.com

Phone: +64 9 3039918

Legal Resources:

Applying for a new job.
What you need to know when going for that new job.

Consider Mediation
There is no doubt about it litigation is expensive, stressful and prolonged. It always involves an element of risk - the judge may not quite see your situation in the same light as you - and you may end up with an unsatisfactory result.

Flexible Working Arrangements
Sue Kedgley strikes again! From 1 July 2008 employers may have to accommodate flexible working arrangements for employees who have a child under 5 years, a disabled child or a dependent relative and have been with his/her employer for at least 6 months working the qualifying minimum hours.

Health and Safety in the Workplace
Health and safety laws have changed and there is now provision for employees who are "stressed" as a result of work or the workplace to make claims.Read on about the changes and how they may affect you.

Holidays - 4 Weeks a year
When the Holidays Act came into force almost four years ago, it seemed that one of the most controversial changes - four weeks holiday a year for all employees from 1 April 2007 – was a long way away.

Holidays Act 2003
After more than 20 years the Holidays Act has been amended. There are quite a few changes to get your head around and we hope this article helps!

Kiwi Saver
All employers should now be on track to ensuring their systems will be KiwiSaver compliant by the 1 July 2007 deadline.

Managing Personal Grievances
What are personal grievances? How to avoid them and what to do if a personal grievance is brought against you.

Probationary or trial periods in Employment Agreements – Are they lawful?

Restraints of Trade
In the current tight labour market many employers are insisting on restraints of trade in employment agreements. So what are they?

The absent employee - what you need to do
What to do if an employee simply does not turn up to work.

To be a Contractor or not to be...
What's the difference between an Employee and an Independent Contractor? Do I need to pay holiday pay to a contractor, can they bring a personal grievance against my company?

Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007
As you are no doubt aware, the Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act 2007 (“the Act”) came into force on 5 September 2007. Briefly, the Act prohibits electronic messages from a New Zealand link being sent to a recipient’s mailbox unless there is an existing business relationship between sender and recipient.

Workplace Bullying
Bullying in the workplace seems to have been the catchcry in the last 3 years- what is is workplace bullying?