Phillipa is a Partner and head of Simpson Grierson's Employment Law Group.

Phillipa has been involved in a number of test cases in the employment area in New Zealand, including the first major damages claim brought by an employer against a union, the first successful "stress" damages case to go to the Court of Appeal, the first employment law case to go to New Zealand's Supreme Court and many injunction applications over strikes, pickets, restraints of trade, and interim reinstatement applications.

Phillipa is the leading employment lawyer for many of New Zealand's major corporations, tertiary institutions and local government enterprises.  Phillipa has successfully argued several of the employment court cases in new areas of law such as 'good faith' bargaining and work place stress.

• Acting for Three Foot Six in New Zealand's first employment case to be appealed to the Supreme Court (over the definition of contractors under section 6 Employment Relations Act)
• Acting for the plaintiff in the first successful "stress" damages case in New Zealand to go to the Court of Appeal (Cartwright v Commissioner of Police)
• Fonterra Co-operative Ltd's employment law issues relating to outsourcing systems and employees in numerous jurisdictions
• Auckland City Council's successful Court of Appeal case on good faith/consultation issues under the Employment Relations Act
• University of Auckland's employment law issues including a test case before the full Employment Court on good faith issues in collective bargaining
• Toll NZ's successful hearing before the full Employment Court on issues relating to technical redundancy and good faith obligations under the Employment Relations Act

• Fletcher Building Employee Education Fund - Chair
• Co-author of three leading employment law texts published by Brookers:
  • Employment Law
  • Employment Contracts
  • Employers Guide to Recruitment and Termination
• PLC Which Lawyer? 2006 - Leading Lawyer
• The International Who's Who of Management Labour & Employment Lawyers 2006 - Leading Lawyer
• Asia Pacific Legal 500 2004/2005 & 2006 - Leading Individual