Wakefields Lawyers

Getting it right when it comes to your staff isn’t always simple. Even great employers get caught out by the complexities of employment law. We’re here to help.

If you’re an employer, you will know that creating a great place to work is like a puzzle with a thousand pieces. Every workplace has its own puzzle and its own pieces – what works for one, does not work for all.

We can help make your particular puzzle a bit simpler by ensuring you have employment agreements and policies in place that are tailored to your business and the people who work in it. Most importantly, we speak your language, so will make sure it’s all easy for everyone to understand and not filled with complicated employment law jargon.

We will provide your business with the advice and support that gives you and your management team the confidence and freedom to concentrate on the success of your business.

Our goal is to make the complex simple. We believe that businesses shouldn’t be hindered by dealing with complicated legal issues. We’re here to take the pain points out of it so that you can focus on doing what you do best: running your business.

We will give you pragmatic advice and work with you to achieve your goals, not putting roadblocks in your way. We speak your language and will make sure that you understand any legal or contractual obligation without the complicated jargon.

Whether you are at the start of your business journey and need support setting up for success, you’re going strong and need some guidance navigating the complex corporate waters, or you’re at the end of the business journey and looking to sell, our experienced Commercial Team will be able to meet your needs.

Wakefields Lawyers specialises in Property Law in all its forms – residential sales and purchases, commercial sales, purchases and leases, building contracts, subdivisions and all of your general queries.

There is no job too big or too small for our dedicated Property Law team to tackle and no question too basic to be asked. With our senior team members having over 30 years of property law experience each, there’s virtually nothing they don’t know about buying, selling and everything in between.

Our Property Law team put their clients first, whether it’s your first home or you’re an experienced investor/ business owner, our legal professionals will give you sound, pragmatic legal advice to help you achieve your goals. On top of that, we speak your language – we know that various conditions and industry jargon can be confusing if you’re not a seasoned player in the property game. We will make sure that you are fully informed and understand the various elements of property transactions. In short: we make the complex simple!

We understand that everyone is working within a budget, so we prefer to have an upfront conversation around fees at the outset. Our residential property transaction works have various pricing packages that you can tailor to suit your needs. 

You’re always prepared for the expected, but what about the unexpected?

While none of us can predict the future, our Trusts & Succession team can help you be ready for the unforeseen (and often unfortunate) events that occur throughout your life.

Think of wealth protection as the ‘survival kit’ for your personal affairs. We’ll provide you with what you need to be ready in the event that you need it, so you can be sure that on your death or incapacitation, your assets are protected and your wishes are followed.

Wealth protection is important for everyone, not just those you might think of as ‘wealthy’. To get off on the right foot you need to start working on your wealth protection and asset protection from the time you buy your first home or make any other type of investment. It’s also recommended to put a plan in place when your Kiwisaver funds reach $15,000. Regardless of what stage of life you are at, it’s never too late to start getting things underway. Expect the unexpected and get prepared!

We have over thirty years of experience in all elements of succession planning and wealth protection. We simplify the complex process of getting your affairs in order, offering assistance with trust establishment and administration (including family and inheritance trusts), wills, enduring powers of attorney and estate administration.

We offer pricing packages on all elements of wealth protection as we know that price certainty is important to our clients.

When your family has legal issues, it’s important that you have sound legal advice.

Whether it relates to your children, partner, a relationship break-up, and/or custody issues, our Family Law team has years of experience representing clients in such matters and ensures that it does everything possible to ease the pressure that comes in these situations. We offer family law services in all four of our offices; Wellington, Paraparaumu, Otaki and Foxton.

We navigate the pathways available to workers, students and residents to provide you with the best immigration advice and assistance available. Our Immigration Team has a wealth of experience and is able to lead you through the process.

New Zealand’s immigration system is continuously and rapidly changing. These changes can leave migrants unsure of their future in New Zealand, or in some cases, facing deportation.

Moving from one country to another is a complex and sometimes stressful logistical undertaking. We take as much stress from the process as possible while providing our services efficiently, irrespective of the location of our clients.

Whether you have a family member/employee who wants to remain in New Zealand or are looking to expand your business by recruiting from overseas and require assistance with the employer accreditation process, we encourage you to get in contact with our team to discuss how this can be achieved.

At Wakefields Lawyers, our team of immigration experts have a wealth of experience. We pride ourselves on the ability to provide tailored advice while taking your through the complete process.

When a business is facing financial distress we understand that it is a very difficult time for all involved, including the directors, shareholders, creditors and suppliers of that business.

Whether you are pursuing or defending a company debt, negotiating a financial dispute with a business partner, supplier or customer or attempting to enforce a judgment order, our Insolvency Team is here to help.

Our team can also provide fast paced, accurate advice to receivers and liquidators, in addition to advising insolvency practitioners, on matters of insolvency, including:

• Restructure of businesses to avoid liquidation
• Voluntary and involuntary liquidation
• Statutory demands and liquidation proceedings
• Appointment of receivers, liquidators, interim liquidators and administrators
• Schemes of arrangement
• Enforcement of security interests.

We can also assist clients dealing with mounting personal debt and and provide a range of options to try and avoid personal bankruptcy.