- Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Arts (Art History), Victoria University of Wellington (2013)
- Member of the New Zealand Law Society Immigration & Refugee Law Committee
- Member of The Law Association (formerly Auckland District Law Society)
Lavinia has extensive knowledge of immigration law, working with both corporate and private clients to achieve successful outcomes. She also specialises in employment law, and can assist with a range of employment-related matters.
Lavinia is responsive and efficient. She provides clear and focused direction to clients, through complex legal issues.
Expertise in the intersecting practices of immigration and employment law allow Lavinia to ensure that her advice to businesses and individuals considers the ambit of obligations and implications in both areas.
Lavinia is experienced in assisting small, medium, and large New Zealand businesses and multinational companies with their immigration matters. She works with employers to develop commercial solutions, which meet the needs of employers and their employees. Lavinia is efficient in managing end-to-end visa applications for current and prospective staff, as well as preparing and submitting Employer Accreditation, Approval in Principle, and border exemption applications on behalf of employers.
In addition, Lavinia works with individuals and families to ascertain the immigration options available to them, with long-term goals in mind. Lavinia assists and supports clients with temporary and residence applications across a range of visa categories. She is skilled in drafting submissions for complex immigration issues, including potentially prejudicial information (PPI) letters, exceptions to policy, medical waivers, character waivers, Ministerial requests, reconsideration requests, and Section 61 requests.
Lavinia understands that immigration processes can be high-stake and time sensitive for employers with staff shortages, and individuals who wish to travel, or continue to reside in New Zealand. She ensures clients are well-informed about options and risks, kept updated, and provided with as much clarity and certainty as possible.
Lavinia is particularly interested in the crossover between employment and immigration law and working with employers to establish practices and processes that are compliant in both areas.
She also assists employers and employees with a range of employment law matters such as employment agreements and workplace policies, personal grievances and general employment relationship issues, business restructuring, disciplinary and performance-related management processes, sickness, absence from work and medical incapacity processes.
Lavinia has experience in preparing immigration opinions as an expert witness in criminal proceedings, addressing the potential immigration consequences of convictions in support of submissions for a discharge without conviction.