Lucinda Smith

Associate

Lucinda is an employment law specialist who provides practical, commercially focused advice to employers and businesses across a broad range of workplace issues. She works closely with clients to navigate employment relationships, organisational change, workplace disputes, and the employment aspects of corporate transactions, helping them manage legal risk and achieve positive outcomes. Her experience in both private practice and as an in-house lawyer within the financial services sector gives her a strong commercial perspective and an appreciation of the operational realities faced by businesses.

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Lucinda’s employment practice covers the full employment lifecycle. She regularly advises on employment agreements, contractor arrangements, workplace policies, performance management and disciplinary processes, restructuring and redundancy, personal grievances, and settlement negotiations.

Lucinda also supports her corporate colleagues by advising on the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions. She assists clients to identify and manage employment-related risks, including Holidays Act compliance, employee transfer issues, contractor classification, workplace disputes, and health and safety obligations.

Before joining Duncan Cotterill, Lucinda worked in financial services, as an in-house employment lawyer for a global investment bank in London, and at a large commercial law firm in Auckland. This experience gives her a strong understanding of the commercial realities faced by clients and enables her to provide pragmatic, solutions-focused advice.

Recent highlights

  • Advising employers on disciplinary and performance management processes, restructures and redundancy, employment agreements and independent contractor arrangements.
  • Advising employers and insurers on personal grievance claims and employment disputes, including risk assessment, settlement strategy, and litigation preparation.
  • Conducting employment due diligence for acquisitions and business sales, including reviews of Holidays Act compliance, contractor arrangements, employment disputes, union arrangements, and key employee considerations.

Lucinda 's insights

Pay and remuneration in 2026: navigating a new legal landscape

14 August 2026

Employment Leave Bill passed: what employers need to know

31 July 2026

Building Amendment Bill Introduced: Major Reforms to Liability, Insurance, and Consenting Requirements for the Construction Sector

2 July 2026

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