Tackle the legal issues that appear in your role as a school guidance counsellor head-on. Take a deep dive into the legal frameworks surrounding bullying and discrimination and the steps you can take to protect students. Address the complexities of the digital world, how best to navigate family court orders and parent separation and your role in involving the police. Support yourself as a school guidance counsellor by working through key employment issues, dealing with angry parents & more. 2311NZC02

Presenters

Mr. Peter Fernando, Partner, Duncan Cotterill
Peter specialises in corporate and commercial law with particular expertise in information technology. He advises private and public sector clients undertaking IT projects of all sizes, or general commercial deals. Clients appreciate Peter’s clear, pragmatic, and timely advice. Peter applies his experience in contract law to prepare and negotiate appropriate terms and suggests pragmatic solutions to resolve identified contract issues. Whether he is involved as a contract negotiator, or is providing advice behind the scenes, Peter helps his clients to obtain contract terms that fit the deal.


Ms. Giuliana Petronelli, Associate, Anthony Harper
Giuliana specialises in all aspects of employment law. She primarily acts for large public and private employers, and has experience advising the education and sport sectors. Giuliana advises on a range of employment matters; personal grievances, restructuring and redundancy, disciplinary and performance procedures, dismissals, collective bargaining, contractual interpretation and disputes, holidays and leave issues, privacy and human rights, health and safety and general compliance with employment legislation. Alongside employment litigation experience, Giuliana has appeared in the Employment Relations Authority and acted as co-counsel on an application for leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal. Giuliana brings a unique perspective to her practice gained from her prior experience in education as a secondary school teacher and assistant Head of Faculty English. She has acted for both schools and individuals on matters arising out of teacher disciplinary processes, student discipline, parental complaints and school health and safety matters. In the sporting sector, Giuliana has advised individual athletes, local, regional and national sporting organisation on a range of matters including regulatory compliance, governance, disciplinary matters, privacy and selection. Giuliana is currently a Director of the Australian New Zealand Sports Law Association, Trustee for Canterbury Community Rugby Foundation and a trainee dog handler for New Zealand Land Search and Rescue.


Ms. Heather Murdoch, Principal, Trollope & Co
Heather is a lawyer with 38 years’ experience. Heather leads the education team at Trollope & Co lawyers in Christchurch. She works with specialist schools, public and independent schools. Heather primarily works with boards of trustees and principals helping to resolve the wide range of issues that arise in the sector, including employment relationship matters, complaints, policy, historic claims, medical incapacity and student and staff disability. Heather started her career as a lawyer working as a Judges Clerk in the High Court of Christchurch and then practiced in the litigation team in private practice. She taught litigation skills at the Institute of Legal Studies before moving to the Ombudsman’s Office as a senior investigator. Heather combines her expertise in education law with a practical and common-sense approach. Heather is accredited as an Associate Member of the Arbitrators' and Mediators' Institute of New Zealand and is an independent investigator and mediator. She will work with clients to create and run skills-based workshops.


William Fussey, Associate, Anderson Lloyd
William advises on the full suite of employment law issues, including employment agreements and policies, personal grievances, disciplinary and performance improvement matters, restructures and redundancies, medical incapacity, bullying and harassment, and negotiated exits. William also specialises in privacy law, health and safety, and the nuances of the Holidays Act 2003. William has represented both employers and employees at the Employment Relations Authority and Employment Court and regularly attends mediations. He takes a strong but pragmatic approach to resolving employment relationship problems. He is also a regular presenter on a range of employment law matters. William is a member of the Law Association Employment Law Committee.


Ms. Susan Rowe, Partner, Buddle Findlay
Susan is an experienced commercial litigation partner in Buddle Findlay's litigation team. She leads the Christchurch employment and health and safety team. For over 25 years Susan has advised a wide range of private and public sector clients and tertiary and early childhood education providers on the full ambit of employment and health and safety issues. Susan is a former Convenor of a New Zealand Law Society National Standards Committee and past member of the Film and Literature Board of Review. Susan will share her personal journey over the past 3 years with being diagnosed with clinical depression and learning how to navigate her recovery while working in the profession. Over the past 25 years she has seen many changes in the approach to mental health in the workplace. Her goal in sharing her own story is to further destigmatise mental health discussion in professional services and enable anyone to feel more confident having their own wellbeing and mental health conversations in the workplace.


Mr. Grant Fletcher, Barrister
Grant Fletcher is a senior and respected member of the Christchurch Bar. His offices are at Plymouth Chambers, one of Christchurch most respected and prestigious legal offices. Grant has over twenty years legal experience. Grant teaches litigation at the New Zealand Law Society Litigation skills course, and graduate lawyers at the College of Law. He is a member of the Criminal Bar Association and the New Zealand Bar Association. Grant is an experienced Youth Advocate and represents some of New Zealands most vulnerable young people.


Ms. Emily Flaszynski, Partner, Mortlock McCormack Law
Emily leads the Relationship Property and Family Law team at MML in Christchurch where she specializes in separation, the division of relationship property, childcare, protection, and any other issues that affect families including contentious trust and estate disputes. Together with practicing at MML, Emily is also an Associate with Arbitrators and Mediators Institute of New Zealand and a Member of the Canterbury Earthquake Insurance Tribunal where she presides over residential insurance claim disputes arising out of the Canterbury Earthquake Sequence. With a background in dispute resolution and problem solving, and drawing on her expertise as a trained mediator, Emily assists parents to engage constructively with each other to find realistic pragmatic, sensible and beneficial outcomes for their children and themselves. Where agreement cannot be reached, or if urgent intervention is required, she represents her clients in Court. Having 3 teenagers herself and being involved with schools as a Board of Trustees member for many years, Emily understands the complications that can arise when schools are pulled into family disputes. Emily draws on this experience when assisting parents through the process following separation.


Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan, Police National HQ
Jo has 25 years in Policing, most of that time being with the Criminal Investigation Branch. She has experience in investigations of violent crime, sexual and domestic violence, fraud, and most other forms of serious crime. Jo has represented New Zealand Police on overseas deployments to Timor Leste, Tonga, and the Cook Islands. Over and above her core role, Jo spent seven years on the Police Negotiation Team, attending critical incidents and engaging subjects to resolve those incidents safely and without harm to subjects or members of the public. Jo currently specialises in Adult Sexual Assault investigation based in Christchurch, and is on secondment to Police National Headquarters, contributing to policy, practice, procedure, and training to improve service to victims in the Adult Sexual Assault and Child Protection spaces.