Personal Grievance (PG) 17 Employment Lawyers and Advocates 13 No Win No Fee 6

What employment advocates actually do for employees and employers in mediation, ERA investigations and Employment Court litigation, including case assessment, evidence, negotiation and representation.

The short answer

Employment advocacy is a representation service, not merely letter writing. Competent work involves assessing merits and remedies, preparing evidence and pleadings, negotiating settlements and appearing in the specialist employment institutions while being clear with clients about fees and risk.

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Searching for an Employment Lawyer?

In New Zealand employment disputes, people often search for an "employment lawyer" when what they actually need is strong, practical representation at mediation and the Employment Relations Authority (ERA). This article explains how employment advocates can help.

Employment Law Advocates

We are resolution focussed and we often offer a no win no fee service to employees in taking their unfair dismissal cases forward. We deal with a wide range of employment law issues for both employers and employees, these include:

Unjustified dismissal personal grievances.
Unjustified disadvantage personal grievances.
Large wage arrears and holiday pay claims.
Redundancy.
Disciplinary meetings.
Poor performance issues.
Human rights issues in employment.
and the list goes on...

Employment advocate vs employment lawyer

Both can represent parties in employment disputes. What matters is competence, strategy, and the ability to drive resolution.
Some matters require specialist litigation skills (especially where a case escalates beyond the Authority). Experience counts.
Always ask about process, fees, likely timeframes, and how evidence will be gathered and presented.

Where advocates add value

Early risk assessment, settlement strategy, and drafting strong personal grievance letters.
Representation at MBIE mediation and ERA investigation meetings.
Focused, practical case theory and evidence preparation (timelines, documents, witness statements).

Advocates, client choice, and regulation

Employment advocates are part of access to justice in employment disputes. The answer to concerns about poor representation is not a new licensing regime, compulsory membership, a statutory code, or a new complaints body. The better answer is practical client education, clear written terms, written authority to act, transparent fee arrangements, proper settlement authority, and existing costs and conduct powers used fairly where behaviour causes real unfairness or unnecessary cost.