Our Members - NZ Asian Lawyers

Below are profiles of some our members from information publicly available and information provided to us. NZ Asian Lawyers consists of over 100 members from a wide variety of professional backgrounds working as lawyers, in-house counsel and within academia.

Law firm members

Law firm		Profile
AIA NZ Legal Team		AIA New Zealand is New Zealand’s largest life insurer offering life, health, trauma and income insurance, as well as AIA Vitality, a science-backed health and wellbeing programme. The AIA New Zealand Legal Team has been at the forefront of enabling the business to deliver on its purpose of helping Kiwis live “Healthier, Longer, Better Lives”. The AIA New Zealand Legal Team is highly regarded by the business as a key partner to their success. The team is made up of legal counsel, regulatory lawyers, a remediation team, and AIA’s ESG/sustainability and company secretarial functions. It provides legal services ranging from advice on claims and privacy, to litigation and commercial contracts. The team has also been recognised externally – most notably winning “NZ In-House Team of the Year” at the 2023 Australasian Law Awards, “Excellence in Sustainability Practices” at the 2023 Financial Services Council New Zealand Awards, and “Financial Services In-House Team of the Year” at the NZ Law Awards. This department is made up of the following members: Amy MacFadyen, Annemarie Waugh, Ben Spick, Dan Marchant, Sonette de Koster, Erina Fahy Fiona Wong, Gabriella Garcia, Hector Camacho, Jackie Waddams, Jeremy Jones, Jolo Tobias, Julie Wheeler, Kathryn Clendon, Kenji Murakami, Kylie Jackson-Cox, Racheal Smith, Rebecca Fletcher, Rob Ford, Sarah Fitzgerald, Shami Shearer, Phillip Thein, William Clarke
Chapman Tripp		Chapman Tripp is a dynamic and innovative commercial law firm at the leading edge of legal practice. With offices in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, the firm supports clients to succeed across industry, commerce and government. Chapman Tripp is known as the ‘go to’ for complex, business-critical strategic mandates across the full spectrum of corporate and commercial law. Chapman Tripp’s expertise covers mergers and acquisitions, capital markets, banking and finance, restructuring and insolvency, Māori business, litigation and dispute resolution, employment, health and safety, government and public law, privacy and data protection, intellectual property, media and telecommunications, real estate and construction, energy, environmental and natural resources, and tax.
	Vivian Cheng
Copeland Ashcroft		Copeland Ashcroft is an independent legal practice providing specialist advice, representation and support across the full ambit of workplace law issues, including employment, health and safety and immigration, to business thoughout New Zealand.
	Ada Zhang, Associate	Ada is a specialist immigration lawyer based in the Christchurch office, who delivers immigration services to both private and corporate clients. Ada holds law degrees both in New Zealand and China. She is fluent in English and Mandarin. Ada has experience in a range of standard and complex immigration applications. In particular, her expertise is to provide strategic advice and practical solutions to fulfil the needs of hiring and retaining migrant workers for businesses. As an immigrant herself, Ada understands what the private clients need and strives for justice as well as a positive outcome. She successfully assists many private clients and their families from “getting an idea to migrate to New Zealand” to residency and citizenship. In her spare time, Ada enjoys drawing, calligraphy and yoga.
	Mizba Jabbar	Mizba migrated from the UK to New Zealand over 11 years ago with her young family. Mizba has a background in advocacy and disability rights (whilst in the UK). Her work experience in New Zealand ranges from her role as a Labour Inspector, monitoring and enforcing employers’ compliance with minimum employment rights and as a Solicitor in a general practice law firm. Mizba has also volunteered at a community Law firm in Tauranga. With an interest in workplace matters she will bring a unique perspective from her experience as a Labour Inspector. Mizba was admitted to the New Zealand Bar in November 2020. Mizba has settled in Tauranga. Outside of work Mizba enjoys spending time with her family and enjoys cooking traditional foods. Mizba will be based in the Tauranga office.
Croftfield Law		Croftfield Law is an Asian-led law firm based in North Shore, Auckland. 70% of their clientele are also Asian. One of the key features of Alfred and his team at Croftfield Law is its team of approachable and down-to-earth professionals. The lawyers are easy to talk to, fostering a comfortable and open environment for clients to discuss their legal matters. The team comes from diverse backgrounds, bringing a wide range of perspectives and experiences to the table. Listening to the clients’ needs and understanding their objectives is a priority for the firm. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of their clients’ goals, the team can better advocate for the outcomes they desire, and is committed to securing and protecting its clients’ interests throughout the process. The firm prides itself on its ability to think creatively and “outside the box” when handling clients’ cases. Instead of relying solely on conventional legal strategies, Croftfield Law aims to explore innovative solutions to meet the specific needs and goals of each client.
	Alfred Chong, Director	Alfred’s legal career began when he was admitted to the High Court of Auckland in 2008. Over the years, he has amassed considerable expertise in various areas of law, including commercial, criminal, family, as well as large scale commercial litigation and dispute resolution. Over the years Alfred has established himself as a prominent figure within the Chinese community, earning recognition for his skills and accomplishments. He takes a confident and communicative approach when working with his clients, fostering a strong rapport and gaining their trust in his abilities to represent them effectively. One of Alfred’s strengths lies in his exceptional people skills, enabling him to connect with clients from diverse backgrounds and effectively understand their needs. He has had the privilege of representing clients at all levels, ranging from high-net-worth individuals to companies and charitable organizations. Alfred’s scope of assistance extends beyond local clients in New Zealand; he has also successfully helped clients from overseas, navigating legal complexities and achieving favorable outcomes for their cases. With his wealth of experience and reputation as a respected legal practitioner, Alfred is well-equipped to handle a wide range of legal matters. With his can-do attitude and wealth of connection in different industries, Alfred is dedicated to securing the best possible results for his clients, no matter the complexity or nature of the cases. With Alfred’s dedication to provide suburb legal services to the community, Alfred co-founded Croftfield Law in year 2016. Alfred and his team aim to differentiate the firm from traditional and conventional law firms. The firm’s vision is to provide a unique approach to provide legal services by breaking away from the old-school practices commonly found in the industry.
	James Song, Director	James has been practicing law since 2005, having qualifications from both Victoria University and University of Auckland in Law, Accounting and Finance. James applies his skills and knowledge in solving his clients’ problems and taking into account all relevant matters to protect his clients’ assets. With nearly 15 years of legal practice, James is experienced in commercial, immigration and property conveyancing law. James speaks fluent English and Korean.
Heritage Law		Founded as “Yu Lawyers” in 2004, the firm has served the Auckland community for over 15 years. Over that period, the firm has built up a large Chinese client base, and has grown into a well-respected, highly regarded law firm within the Auckland legal fraternity. In 2019 the firm made a strategic decision to rebrand as Heritage Law in order to expand its practice and to cater for the needs of the wider community. As a part of that strategic decision, it has relocated from its previous premises on Dominion Road to its new offices on Shortland Street in 2020.
	David Liu, Director	David is a Taiwanese immigrant who moved to New Zealand with his family in the mid-1990s. Raised in modest circumstances, David attended his local high school, where he adapted to a new culture while staying connected to his roots. After graduating from the University of Auckland with a Law Degree, David was admitted to the bar in 2004. As the co-founder of Heritage Law, David has built a successful practice serving the needs of the ethnic Chinese community and he has worked hard to promote their interests. David specialises in civil litigation, frequently appearing in the District Court and the High Court. His successful representation of clients across all levels has led to many of his cases being reported in the law reports.
	Anita Yang	Anita is the property partner of the firm. She specialises in trusts, succession planning and property/commercial transactions with a strong focus on complex subdivisions and residential developments. Anita is task oriented. She offers clear and pragmatic advice to her clients and always have their best interests at heart. Anita holds a Bachelor’s Degree in both Law and Commerce.
Rice Speir		Rice Speir specialises in litigation and dispute resolution. We offer expertise in many areas of litigation, with particular emphasis on local government and insurance matters.
	Nick Ravaji
	Shamika Pujara
	Vanessa Falcunitin

Professional Members

Name	Profile
Ai Li Kueh	Senior Solicitor at Parry Field Lawyers
Amarind Eng	Amarind is a Litigation Solicitor at Simpson Grierson practicing public and commercial dispute resolution. Amarind is passionate about developing the law in cultural competency and understanding. He has been published on the topic of Judicial Colonisation and the reasonable person test in the Comparative Law Journal of the Pacific.
Claudia Shan	Partner at Avancier Legal Claudia is a specialist private client lawyer who provides advice on estate planning, succession, pre-migration planning and preserving families' wealth. She advises on trust structures, asset protection, the establishment and/or restructuring of structures to hold personal assets and businesses, reviews documents and contracts, facilitates transactions, investments here in New Zealand and abroad. Utilising an extensive local and international network, Claudia assists individuals and their advisors, entrepreneurs, families, and family offices by serving as “in-house counsel” to review contracts, documents and facilitate transactions. She also provides professional trustee and director services, assists with the ongoing administration of domestic trusts and, companies, limited partnerships, foreign trusts and companies. Claudia is also a compliance and AML/CFT specialist who provides advice to other reporting entities, trustees, lawyers and accountants. She will also work closely with advisors to ensure their client’s trust structures (and related entities) are compliant with compliance reporting and regulations locally and abroad (including AML/CFT, CRS (common reporting standard), foreign trust rules, beneficial ownership and economic substance rules) Claudia started her career as a tax consultant at Ernst & Young. She later practiced law in in the private client team of a leading New Zealand law firm. While living in Europe for six years, Claudia worked for two international law firms, Ogier and Walkers. Claudia is a dual qualified solicitor, have qualified in England and Wales in 2009. Claudia returned to New Zealand and worked for over 10 years for boutique law firm specialising in private client and private wealth advisory. Refer to www.avancierlegal.com
Feifei Zhou	Solicitor at Solomons Feifei completed her law degree at the University of Otago. In addition, she holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering from the Anhui University of Architecture in China, and a post graduate diploma in Environmental Science from the University of Otago. She is fluent in both English and Mandarin. Her practice areas include Dispute Resolution, Relationship Property, Trust Formation and Succession Planning, Immigration, Property, Commercial, and Employment Law.
Himanshu Trivedi	Barrister & Solicitor at ACS Lawyers Himanshu holds a BSc and LLB from India, and has been enrolled as a barrister and solicitor at the High Court of New Zealand since 2011. He is also a mediator, trained in USA and India. He was a Judge at the Ahmedabad City Civil Court in Gujrat, India from 2002 to 2004. He is now a general practitioner.
Jijie Guo
Kim J. McCoy	Kim was born in Hong Kong but grew up in New Zealand. After his admission to the Bar in 2011, he practised as a barrister in Christchurch and Auckland. In 2013 he moved to Hong Kong to complete further post-graduate studies before joining the Hong Kong Bar in 2016. Kim has recently returned to New Zealand and works as a Senior Associate with K3 Legal in Auckland. He still retains his Hong Kong practising certificate and is a member of Bernacchi Chambers. Kim’s practice areas are mainly in criminal and public law. Additionally, he has a keen interest in animal law, as well as wildlife crime both locally and internationally. He is also the Director and Founder of the Hong Kong Animal Law and Protection Organisation. Kim speaks fluent Cantonese and continues to travel to and from Hong Kong for legal matters.
	Lion was born in Wuxi, China, and is a barrister specialising in commercial litigation, construction dispute and regulatory defence. He is fluent in Mandarin and written Chinese. Lion completed his LLB/BCOM(1 st Hons) at the University of Auckland, where he is also currently completing his LLM. Outside of work, Lion is an accomplished tournament chess player, music teacher (classical piano and guitar) and wood sculptor.
Maree Zhou	Solicitor at Parry Field Lawyers
Maricel Weischede	Director of Lawspace Limited / Associate at Alex Lee Lawyers Maricel had been practicing in the area of immigration law for the past 20 years, initially as a licensed immigration adviser, and later as a Solicitor after being admitted to the bar. She had been a staunch supporter of the protection of migrants from rouge unlicensed people giving immigration advice. She has successfully advocated for hundreds of complex cases involving deportation appeal, residence appeals, character waivers, medical waivers, special request to the Minister/Associate Minister of Immigration. The dedication to helping people blossomed into working with both private individual clients and businesses in relation to other areas of the law such as family, property, conveyancing and small business requirements. She launched Lawspace – a firm that specialises in assisting new kiwis legal requirements. She understands the need of migrants for clarity, representation and utmost assistance.
Mark Wilson	Law Clerk at Parry Field Lawyers
Michael Ip	Criminal Defence Lawyer at Public Defence Service Michael was admitted to the bar in 2014. Prior to obtaining a Bachelor of Law at the University of Auckland, he had also obtained a Master of Science in Pharmacology. He has worked as a Research Assistant conducting academic research into the decisions made by the Health Practitioners’ Disciplinary Tribunal.
Miles Edwards	Owner/ Principal at Clifford James, Lawyers
Nazmeen Rasheed
Rebecca Carruthers	Senior Solicitor at Parry Field Lawyers Rebecca graduated from the University of Canterbury in 2019 and was admitted to the bar in 2020. She worked at a boutique law firm in Auckland before she joined Parry Field Lawyers in April 2021. Rebecca works mostly within the migrant team at Parry Field Lawyers. Her practice areas include immigration, commercial and employment law. She also works with impact driven clients such as charities and start-ups.
Richelle Go Ocao	Senior Solicitor at Russell McVeagh
Rifat Mayadur
Robb Michael Bautista	Associate at Lawhub in Christchurch. Robb graduated from the University of Canterbury in 2021 and was admitted to the bar in 2022. Robb began his legal career in 2021 as a law clerk working in the immigration team. After becoming a Solicitor in 2022, Robb joined the family law team. Robb’s practice areas include family law (care of children, guardianship, family violence, Oranga Tamariki, and relationship property matters), immigration, and wills. Robb is a legal aid lead provider for family law.
Yang Su	Senior Solicitor at Parry Field Lawyers Yang joined Parry Field’s Impact and Commercial teams in May 2022. Yang grew up and studied in the United States and was accepted into the New York bar in 2010. He later worked in Shanghai, China and the Middle East in project development, finance and mergers and acquisitions, both in private practice and in-house. In 2020, Yang moved with his family to settle down permanently in Christchurch. Yang speaks Mandarin and a bit of Japanese and Spanish. Outside of work, Yang enjoys running (slowly), watching sports and spending time with his family and friends.

Student Members

Name	Profile
Andrew Huang
Chuchu Lin	I am a year 3 Law student at AUT and am deeply interested in Law in both the academic and professional realms.
Isaac Chan
Jessica Sui Harborne	LLB Student at the Auckland University of Technology Jessica is a qualified Legal Executive and a qualified New Zealand translator and interpreter in Mandarin. She has previously obtained a BBUS in International Business & Economics in China, and a BBUS in Accounting at AUT. She is experienced in working with families and people in vulnerable circumstances, and determined to help those who have language barriers to succeed in disputes.
Julian Iosia Muroso
Kiu Hei Chloe Yip (葉蕎熙)	LLB/BSc Student at the University of Auckland Kiu Hei Chloe is currently studying at the Waipapa Taumata Rau – University of Auckland towards a conjoint degree in Law and Science, majoring in Geography and Geographic Information Science. She is particularly interested in employment law, environmental law, and public policy. Outside of her studies, she is passionate about youth engagement and civic participation. She currently works at Auckland Youth Voice as the General Manager and at InsideOUT Kōaro as a Workshop Facilitator.
Lily Chen	BA/LLB Student at the University of Auckland. Lily is studying towards her conjoint degree in Law and Arts, double-majoring in psychology and sociology. She is expected to graduate by the end of 2024. Lily currently works as a law clerk at Ponsonby Chambers. She is passionate about family law.
Louis Liu	LLB(Hons) at AUT
Min Wang
Nuha Hayat
Otago Asian Law Students' Association (OALSA)	The Otago Asian Law Students’ Association, established in 2019, is a student-elected body that promotes the interests of Asian-identifying law students. It aims to be a safe space for Asian law students at Otago University, particularly as there are a lot of first-generation Asian students entering law school and looking for support from their peers. OALSA hosts regular academic workshops, social events, and a mentoring programme for first- and second-year students to connect with senior Asian students. The current President is Amy Xie.
Rebekah Park
Siv Eang Chea
Ted Wu	Ted Wu is currently studying a Law and Property conjoint at Waipapa Taumata Rau – The University of Auckland. Ted is particularly interested in exploring the various career fields in law, currently taking an interest in litigation. Outside of his studies, Ted works as a contact co-ordinator for a supervised contact center, working on the front lines of family law, as well as practicing Muay Thai in his spare time.
Tina Yee	PhD Student at the University of Cantebury Tina is doing her PhD in deportation law.
Zainab Aktar	LLB Student at the Auckland University of Technology Prior to studying law, Zainab earned a certificate in Biological Sciences. Zainab currently works as a Legal Intern at JustCommunity.
Zaza Yin	Born and raised in China, educated in China, Egypt and New Zealand, Zaza is trilingual in English, Chinese and Arabic. The cultural competence, derived from Zaza’s education, work and travelling, gives her maturity and insights in working with people from diverse backgrounds, identities and cultures and navigating complex issues. Zaza has a degree in Arabic and Literature from Xi’an International Studies University in China and Suez Canal University in Egypt. Zaza is currently working as an executive assistant to the Race Relations Commissioner at the New Zealand Human Rights Commission while studying for a Bachelor of Laws at Victoria University of Wellington. Zaza began her career as an executive secretary to the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic in Beijing. Zaza then worked as an internal audit and public relations secretary at Saudi Aramco, one of the world’s largest integrated energy and chemicals companies. Most recently, Zaza worked at PwC as a business assistant to the managing partner before joining the New Zealand Human Rights Commission.

Honorary Members

Honorary Members	Profile
Glenda Macdonald	General Manager Representative and Auckland Branch Manager at New Zealand Law Society Glenda has been at the New Zealand Law Society for 14 years. We thank her for all of her support and encouragement since the establishment of NZ Asian Lawyers in 2020.
Jacqui Thompson	Executive Director at New Zealand Bar Association (NZBA) Jacqui has been the Executive Director of the New Zealand Bar Association for 3 years. She is the NZBA's Secretariat's representative on its Criminal, Law Reform, Technology and Training Committees. She also works as a private legal researcher. The NZ Asian Lawyers Board asked Jacqui to be an honorary member as the NZBA has been one of our greatest supporters, without which we could not have got to where we are today - incorporated as a standalone entity and with our own website.
Michael Stephens	Managing Director at Stephens Lawyers Michael is one of New Zealand’s leading film & entertainment lawyers. Over his 30-plus year legal career, he has advised clients on matters relating to film and entertainment law, property, general commercial matters for local to international entities, securities law, and advisory and overseas investment. He has close ties to Wellington’s film and creative industries and has a strong interest in fostering business between New Zealand, Asia and the US. He is a former Chair of the Korea New Zealand Business Council, member of the NZ Film and Literature Board of Review, and International Delegate for the Shanghai International Film Festival.
Paul Dacre KC	Criminal Specialist Paul Dacre was appointed a King's Counsel in 2013. He is a highly experienced trial and appellate lawyer specialising in all areas of criminal law including fraud, murder and drug trials. Paul has successfully appeared in courts at all levels throughout New Zealand and the Pacific both for the defence and the prosecution. He has also appeared on a number of occasions in the Privy Council in London. In 2003, he was appointed Public Defender for the Pitcairn Islands and defended one of the most complex criminal cases in UK history. He also appeared successfully in a death penalty trial in California. Paul’s ability to assess and explain complex legal issues in simple language means he is approachable and is able to focus on success and resolution.
Rosemary Thomson	Criminal Barrister A strong and tenacious advocate for her clients’ interests, Rosemary has successfully worked on a wide range of high profile and complex cases within the Court system. With an increasing number of alleged offenders experiencing significant mental health and addition issues, Rosemary brings compassion to her work and a thorough knowledge of New Zealand’s mental health framework. Rosemary has held a warrant from the Ministry of Health as a District Inspector for mental health since 2003, assisting people detained under the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992. In 2017 she was also appointed District Inspector under the SACAT Act - Substance Abuse and Addiction (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 2017. Rosemary is an approved provider on the highest level of legal aid CAT4. She has a BA/LLB (1987) and an LLM (2006) from The University of Auckland.