An Employment Advocate is like an Employment Lawyer.

We are legal and human resources experts who know employment law like the back of our hands.

We can defend you in your workplace and all the way to the employment court if necessary.

Employment Advocates either hold law degrees or HR qualifications.  Our Advocates are ALL specialists in Employment Law.  We are fully equipped to help with any Employment Relationship Problem you are facing.

No we are not funded  

We are careful what cases we do which is why we give a free consultation over the phone as our first point of contact.  We carefully consider the facts before we agree to take your case on a no win no fee basis.  Sometimes we need to charge an hourly rate but we always let you know straight away whether it is no-win-no-fee or hourly rate so there won’t be any surprises.  Most of the time we can get your employer to contribute to your costs, and what we can’t get your employer to cover we take as a percentage of what we win for you. More details on our fees page.

No Win No Fee literally means if we don’t win you don’t pay a fee. When you have lost your job or are faced with the prospect of losing your job because of a situation that has arisen with your employer it’s the least likely time you will be able to afford a lawyer.

If there are occasions when we will charge you an hourly rate we will let you know.  For example, If we need to attend your disciplinary meeting,  we charge a meeting fee of $300+gst per hour.

No Win No Fee is not Free

If we accept your case on a no win no fee basis, and if we are successful in winning you a financial outcome there will be fees payable, either by your employer or by yourself as a percentage of the settlement.

All our Employment Advocates are Employment Law specialists. Some have Law Degrees and some come from an HR background.  All are experts in Employment Law.

If you lose you will not have to pay a fee. Because we don’t get paid for our time and efforts if we don’t win we don’t take on a case if we don’t think it will be successful.

The cost of an exit package will depend on the length of time it takes to reach the final decision between employee and employer.

We can usually get your fees paid for by the employer, this is part of the negotiation process.

An exit package is when both the employer and employee come to a mutual agreement for the employment agreement to come to an end quickly and without a lot of delay or expense.

Typically, an exit package will contain some type of financial benefit for the employee, sometimes including a reference.

We can assist with ensuring the process is dealt with on a professional level and the agreed terms will be recorded in a record of settlement.

Employment Lawyers usually charge an hourly rate, so they get paid whether they are successful or not. You can be sure Employment Advocates who offer their services as no win no fee will be putting in the work to ensure your case is a success because their fee only gets paid if they are successful.

1. Contact Us When you email us you will receive a confirmation email. Reply to that email with a full timeline of events, and attach any letters you have received from your employer.
2. If you have been unfairly dismissed you have 90 days to raise a personal grievance for unfair dismissal.
3. If you have just been fired or dismissed and have no secured future income there are a few steps to take immediately to reduce your stress, financially and emotionally. If you have no money in the bank, ring the bank and stop all automatic payments, if there is no money in the bank you could incur fees.
4. Contact the people that these payments go to and explain your situation.
5. Contact your landlord and explain your situation.
6. Book an appointment with your doctor if you are extremely distressed or have any symptoms such as; Difficulty sleeping, anxiety, depression, panic attacks etc…Please get a letter from your doctor explaining what you have visited him for, this will be added to your case file and will become part of your stress and distress claim.
7. Contact Work and Income NZ, the sooner you register for unemployment benefits, the sooner you will be eligible for payment. If we achieve compensation we will usually settle under a tax-free and tax-exempt section of the act, this will have no effect on your benefit.
8. Cancel any unnecessary luxuries that will get you further into debt.
9. Keep any evidence of attempts to look for work, loss of earnings can only be claimed (Unless you are unwell) if you have been actively looking for work.
10. Contact friends or family for support to help get you through.
11. Exercise even if you don’t feel like it, you will feel better and it can help you think clearly.

No, No Win No Fee is not a con.  Some employment lawyers speak badly of employment law advocates.  As in most industries, some employment advocates are cowboys and opportunists. Some are unprofessional and can harm your case by being too arrogant or aggressive.  It is important to shop around, read reviews and look for recommendations.  We are in direct competition with employment lawyers.  Employment lawyers want you to use them because they charge an hourly rate, which can really add up. Employment lawyers say it’s unethical to charge a percentage of a settlement. A New Zealand employment lawyer who holds a current practising certificate is prohibited from charging a percentage.  As with employment lawyers, our Advocates are qualified to practise employment law, many holding law degrees and HR qualifications. Wherever possible, we have your employer contribute to the costs. More often than not, we get our entire fees paid by your employer, so we don’t take a percentage of your win at all.