Ashleigh advises on all aspects of employment and health and safety legal issues. She has recently returned to New Zealand after spending four and a half years in London as a senior lawyer in Macfarlanes LLP’s highly ranked employment law practice.

Her extensive experience includes advising on disciplinary matters, performance management, restructures, negotiated exits, bonus/incentive schemes privacy requests, corporate transactions and day-to-day advisory work. 

Ashleigh regularly attends mediations and has appeared in the Employment Relations Authority.  She also provides advice on workplace obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, officer duties, WorkSafe investigations, and notifiable events.

Ashleigh provides timely, commercial and pragmatic advice to clients covering wide range of sectors, including financial services, technology, manufacturing, retail, property, media, advertising, marketing and aviation.  

Work Highlights

XPO Logistics

Advised XPO Logistics on the employment aspects of its acquisition of Kuehne and Nagel’s UK logistics operations.

Sale of the Ritz

Advised a Qatari client on the employment aspects of his acquisition of The Ritz London. 

Negotiated exits

Advised the rewards club of a well-known international airline on multiple sensitive senior manager exits

Restructuring

Advised a large global snack company on significant restructure activity including the closure of its New Zealand factory resulting in almost 400 redundancies.

Disciplinary 

Advised a large international financial services provider on three separate disciplinary processes due to serious misconduct by three New Zealand senior executives.

Litigation

Lead solicitor acting for a large real estate company to defend a high value (both financially and reputation) Employment Tribunal claim brought by their previous Managing Director. Successfully defended the discrimination and victimisation elements of the claim.

Unions 

Advised a large, NZX-listed provider of retirement villages and aged care services on its collective issues and bargaining.

Cross border issues 

Briefing and instructing foreign counsel on cross border employee issues and engaging employees overseas.

Health and safety 

Advised a global property company on its compliance with the New Zealand Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 and produced a full audit report.

Training 

Prepared and provided tailored training to a variety of clients on legislative updates and topical employment/HR issue.

Areas of Expertise

Insights & News