This years Immigration Law Summit had quite the turnout from current and past Queen City Law staff members. Marcus was co-chairing the event, Brad and Harris presented on the Active Investor Plus category and Sonny also presented (with 48 hours notice!) on how employment disputes can cause liabilities to the immigration profession.

Other topics also included Employer Accreditation, Job Check and Accredited Employer Work Visa issues (Presented by former Queen City Law staff member now Principal of Stay Legal, Lauren Qiu) and Navigating Heath Instructions and Medical Waivers, and Skilled Migrant Category/Residence Options (Presented by former Queen City Law staff member, Shi Sheng Cai, Senior Associate of Copeland Ashcroft).

Queen City Law is one of the best, if not the best Immigration law firms in New Zealand. We have over 30 years experience, with all of our lawyers and support staff (and past staff) being the best in the business. We look forward to next year!

Disclaimer:
We have taken care to ensure that the information given is accurate, however it is intended for general guidance only and it should not be relied upon in individual cases. Professional advice should always be sought before any decision or action is taken.

The Immigration Law Summit 2024

Queen City Law House
Level 8, 19 Victoria Street West 
Auckland Central 1010

PO Box 6908, Victoria Street West, Auckland Central 1142

Maia joined the QCL team as a Legal Assistant in June 2024. Maia provides assistance to Luke Beveridge, speaks French and Mandarin and is also a talented creative who looks after our social media.

Maia Gorton

Providing tailored legal solutions to fit your specific needs

Legal Assistant

As the firm’s General Manager, Aimee is responsible for managing the business and administration functions of the firm, including HR, Marketing, Finance, Office Systems, Technology and overseeing the Trust Account.

With over 20 years in the legal industry & some of that time spent working in legal IT, Aimee has considerable experience including being with QCL as the original Practice Manager back in 2004 for 2 years and then re-joining the firm in 2012.

Aimee is passionate about ensuring that both QCL staff & clients are provided with a welcoming & productive environment.

Outside of work Aimee enjoys fitness, gardening, home renovations and spending time with her young family.

Aimee Young Practice Manager Queen City Law

Aimee Young

Providing tailored legal solutions to fit your specific needs

General Manager

Tina Hwang is a Director and is the Leader of QCL’s large and award winning Property Team. Tina is also Co-Convenor of The Law Association (previously ADLS) Property Law Committee and member of The Law Association Property Disputes Committee.

Tina mainly practises in property, construction and litigation. She has deep and wide experience in virtually all aspects of property law and property development and has been involved in some of New Zealand’s largest property projects. Tina has also developed expertise in construction issues and has presented papers at many New Zealand law seminars on property and construction law. She contributes regularly to the Builders & Contractors Magazine. Tina also speaks fluent Korean.

Being client-centric Tina has also taken on numerous employment cases (both employer and employee) and the consequent mediation and settlements. Tina regularly appears in Tribunals and Courts. Clients love working with Tina as she is an excellent communicator, works very efficiently and keeps clients fully informed.

Tina Hwang

Director

Jade joined the QCL team as our Receptionist in March 2024. Along with welcoming all clients and guests to QCL, Jade also assists both the property and immigration team with administrative tasks.

Jade O'Hanlon

Receptionist

Polina started as a receptionist working in a general law firm. She has grown through the ranks having worked as a PA in litigation, a trust accountant, legal assistant in commercial and property teams and, since having completed her Legal Executive Studies in 2018 in just two years, was able to finally fulfil her dream of working as a Legal Executive. 

Polina works within QCL’s award-winning Property Team. Her areas of practice are in residential conveyancing and she has a keen interest in working with first-home buyers.  Polina is an expert at reviewing titles, LIM reports and auction documents as she has a meticulous eye for detail and is extremely thorough and organised. Polina speaks fluent Russian.

Polina Boyarchenko

Senior Legal Executive

Tom Huang’s areas of legal expertise include Property, Commercial, Immigration and Education.

Tom specialises in all areas of property development work, from two-lot residential subdivisions to large complex developments, property syndication, and property finance. Tom and QCL’s Managing Director Marcus Beveridge have been involved in many significant property transactions including the provision of real estate services, property and due diligence advice. Marcus and Tom have acted on in excess of NZ$1 billion of property acquisitions and disposals. For example, Marcus and Tom acted for a New Zealand publicly listed company disposing of the Finance Centre for $96m.

Tom also works for Reesby & Company, the largest private property finance brokering and lending company in New Zealand.  The company has raised over $12 billion of debt for property projects and companies throughout New Zealand. Most of these loans are in the $5 million to $30 million range. The company has also financed several of New Zealand’s largest commercial and residential property projects. The company sources close to $1 billion dollars per annum on property investments and developments.

Tom’s Chinese background provides invaluable insight into the Chinese market. Tom has provided assistance to many large Chinese corporates setting up their New Zealand subsidiaries. Such corporations include China banks, some top 10 Chinese construction companies and other major public companies including Chun Wo Development Holdings Limited and Country Garden.

Tom’s commercial and accounting background enables him to provide practical advice to his clients on business acquisitions and business structuring through joint ventures, limited partnerships, syndications or other such vehicles as well as advice on arrangements between shareholders.

Tom is also an expert in Business Migration Law specifically for investor migrant clients from China. Tom’s full understanding of business practice in China significantly aids investor immigrants with documentation preparation and communication with INZ. Tom and the Immigration Team at QCL successfully obtained residence, work and other visas for some of the wealthiest and most active businesspeople from China doing business in New Zealand. Tom also represents QCL at New Zealand Immigration and Investment seminars in China.

Tom has a commitment to providing an exceptional professional and client-orientated service as well as creating a warm and friendly atmosphere for QCL’s clients. Tom’s maturity and experience means that he is the “go-to-guy” in any major Sino-New Zealand commercial and legal activity.

Tom Huang

Prior to joining Queen City Law NZ Limited, Harris worked for a former Minister of Immigration as a licensed immigration adviser for 7 years.

Harris has extensive experience in dealing with all types of visa applications, as well as appeals to the Immigration & Protection Tribunal (IPT), Section 61 requests, Ministerial special directions & Ombudsman complaints. He is also an Official Information Act specialist.

Harris obtained his LLB and BCom degrees from the University of Auckland and was admitted to the High Court of New Zealand in October 2021.

Harris enjoys being an integral member of Queen City Law’s large award-winning Immigration Law team. Harris speaks fluent Mandarin. Harris also publishes widely on immigration and associated issues in the New Zealand Herald and is a regular presenter on Little Red Book.

Harris Gu

Senior Lawyer

Max Shin is a Senior Associate at Queen City Law NZ Limited. He graduated and obtained his Bachelor of Law and Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.

Commercially astute, Max possesses an excellent knack of being able to quickly grasp complex issues whilst building rapport with people. Before pursuing his legal career, Max worked as a commercial manager of an international electrical cable company at its New Zealand branch for 3 years. Through such “hands on” commercial experience Max is very aware of how clients can feel in stressful situations and the need to put out fires as soon as potential issues are identified whenever possible.

Max specialises in property and commercial law acting for developers, construction companies and various business owners. He is also part of Queen City Law’s successful immigration team providing immigration advice to clients, particularly Korean. Max has regularly presented at various seminars internally and externally. Max is hard working and prides himself on being reliable and dedicated. He is fluent in both English and Korean.

Max Shin

Senior Associate

Bradley So is a Director at Queen City Law NZ Limited and he manages QCL’s large award-winning Immigration Team. Bradley specialises in Business Migration, Foreign Investment and Commercial Law. The firm has represented a significant number of Ultra High Net Worth individuals with all their immigration requirements - such QCL clients have invested in excess of $1,000,000,000 in our economy.

Bradley is New Zealand’s highest profile presenter on business migration-based issues. He has presented at numerous legal summits and conferences both onshore and offshore. Brad has excellent communication and listening skills. Brad enjoys excellent relationships with other professionals including major banks, accountants, investment bankers, property developers and asset managers. Brad also owns NZ Labour Inc, which specialises in the recruitment of Filipino workers for New Zealand employers.

Bradley is a well-rounded person and enjoys learning new things. He is actively involved in sports. He has competed in Kickboxing, MMA and Jiu-Jitsu. Bradley was selected for the NZ kickboxing team. He competed internationally in Macedonia 2011 and in Brazil 2013.

Bradley So

Luke was admitted to the New Zealand High Court as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2020. His core areas are commercial and property law. However, Luke has been surrounded by lawyers and legal professionals his entire life. Luke has also been heavily involved in the governance of Queen City Law NZ Limited since its inception. He is highly respected by the firm’s lawyers and support staff.

Luke’s practice to date has also included court appearances for both criminal and civil litigation.

Luke’s property work currently includes the development of a surf park, data centre and solar farm which is one of the most ambitious and exciting projects in Aotearoa. Luke is also spearheading the firm’s legal services for a 2000-unit development in Auckland. Luke’s clients include some of New Zealand’s most famous All Blacks (who Luke assists with all their commercial law requirements), entrepreneurs, and some major property players.

He knows the importance of providing real results and adding bottom-line value to his clients.

Outside of work, Luke spends his time playing premier rugby or can be found at the beach catching some waves.

Luke Beveridge

Evana joined the QCL team as our receptionist in April 2023. Along with welcoming all clients and guests to QCL, Evana also assists both the property and immigration team with administrative tasks. 

Evana Lorigan

Marcus is the Managing Director of Queen City Law NZ Limited. His main areas of practice are construction and property law, commercial law, foreign investment, real estate services and immigration. Marcus speaks Indonesian and has spent a lot of time in Asia. Prior to establishing QCL in 2004 Marcus was a lawyer at New Zealand’s biggest national law firm and was then a partner in a leading Auckland commercial law firm.

Over the years, Marcus has represented a range of clients active in different businesses including international aviation (Marcus represented Garuda Indonesia and Korean Airlines with all of their NZ based legal requirements for a total of 25 years), manufacturing, banking and finance, employment recruitment, early childhood education, car-parking, house construction and sales, land development and subdivisions, hotel ownership and theme park operators, super yacht construction, restaurateurs and commercial radio station owners. Marcus has also acted on hundreds of business acquisitions and disposals. More recently, Marcus and his team have been very active in the property development sector and have spearheaded some of the biggest proposed high-rise property developments New Zealand has ever seen. Other property deals Marcus has acted on include the acquisition of the IMAX centre, the disposal of the Finance Centre, the acquisition of the Depot, the sale and purchase of many other major CBD and large land subdivision properties in Auckland and the construction and sales of thousands of apartments in Auckland City and the North Shore. Marcus and some of the QCL team also provide real estate services to select QCL Vendor clients.

Marcus is also widely considered to be one of Aotearoa’s foremost immigration lawyers and has probably acted on more successful residence visas than any other lawyer in New Zealand with particular focus on business immigration. Many of these clients have become major clients of the firm. A quick Google search will reflect that Marcus is a sought-after commentator for tv, radio and news media. Marcus has also presented widely and chaired numerous national law seminars and conferences on topics including construction law, immigration, credit law, and strategic law firm management.

Marcus believes Queen City Law’s remarkable results are partially attributable to him but moreover to the team at Queen City Law. The firm has been able to recruit some of the smartest lawyers and support staff around and has created a culture that facilitates excellence and is inherently client-centric. The firm also has a unique ability to deal with complex transactions and issues efficiently.

Being commercially minded, Marcus sees himself as a problem solver, always looking for positive results for clients – even where the situation may seem impossible. He believes lawyers need to come down from their “ivory towers” and that legal advice should be focused on direct commercial application.

Marcus Beveridge

Managing Director

Experienced in a range of Immigration application categories including Accreditation, Partnership and Accredited Employer Work Visas.

Rita is a critical part of the Immigration Team’s administrative support. Rita’s key areas of focus are Immigration Law and administration. She also mentors junior staff and her opinion is highly sought after. Rita also speaks fluent Spanish.

Rita Worner

Immigration Administrator

Andrew was admitted to the New Zealand High Court as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2018 and currently supports the immigration law team, assisting with visas and general immigration matters.

With a particular interest in legal research, Andrew also assists the team with a number of Immigration & Protection Tribunal (IPT) cases, using his deft investigation and analysis ability.

Andrew is a humble achiever who is always willing to put his hand up to help get the job done, making him an invaluable and indispensable member of the QCL team.

Andrew Nah

Lawyer

Sonny brings something special to his legal practice – he was formerly an Immigration New Zealand Officer. Sonny was admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor in 2007 (Sonny is also admitted in NSW, Australia), initially practicing in employment and family law for around 7 years before joining Immigration New Zealand. He has a deep understanding of the New Zealand Immigration system having served with INZ in multiple officer roles before being called back to private practice as a lawyer in 2015.

Sonny focuses on helping families. He has personally taken part in assisting thousands of people obtain residency, whether as an Immigration officer or as an Immigration lawyer. He has particular expertise in the Skilled Migrant Category (SMC) Residence applications, particularly in Immigration Appeals to the IPT on residency decline decisions. His family law background and his former experience as an Immigration Officer in the partnership assessment teams will give clients an edge when preparing for a partnership application.

Sonny’s services are in high demand in providing Employment and Immigration business advisory advice for companies hiring migrant workers, including applying for the legalisation of overstayer workers which is known as a s61 application. He has acted on Immigration/Employment matters for various international companies for their New Zealand business interests, including collective bargaining with migrant workers and is also specialised in accredited employer work visas.

Sonny came to New Zealand in 1990 from Hong Kong with his parents. He understands how tough and difficult it may be to travel to a new country, to be suddenly without family support, and to have to make it on your own. Applying for residency is not an easy or simple process, and he is here to help.

In his spare time Sonny is an avid tennis player. His favourite musicians are Jacky Cheung 張學友, Leah Salonga and Gary Moore. He is a columnist for https://www.yiju.co.nz/yiju-english. Sonny speaks Chinese, Cantonese and English.

Sonny Lam

Consultant

Michelle Lee is the CEO of Queen City Law NZ Limited. Michelle was born in South Korea and immigrated to New Zealand in the 1990s. She completed tertiary studies in Management.

Over the years, Michelle has played a primary liaison role with a number of the firm’s largest clients. Michelle is a straight shooter and her advice is keenly sought by captains of industry. Michelle is a traditionalist and believes lawyers should be well presented and professional at all times, and regularly reminds the legal team that law is a service industry. Michelle is fluent in Korean. 

QCL is a New Zealand boutique law firm specialising in commercial law, property law, property development, litigation and immigration law. Queen City Law has won many national law awards including Boutique Law Firm of the Year, Property Law Firm of the Year and Construction Law Firm of the Year. QCL won the award as New Zealand’s top boutique in 3 different years and won the top Property and Construction law firm in New Zealand awards 5 times amongst other law awards.

The firm also represents a number of major property developers and offshore investors with all of their New Zealand based legal requirements. We have dedicated teams of lawyers at Queen City Law. These lawyers will go the extra mile to achieve optimum results for the firm’s clients. Our philosophy is to provide an excellent one stop law firm solution to clients who we favour.

Michelle Lee

Joseph joined QCL in May 2023. He assists the property team with conveyancing, as well as disputes. He speaks fluent Mandarin.

Joseph Diao

Law Clerk

Hannah graduated from the University of Auckland in May 2023 and joined the team at Queen City Law in January 2024. Hannah works within our award-winning Immigration Team. 

Hannah Alcantara

Henny initially joined Queen City Law NZ Limited as legal secretary, assisting the Immigration Team. Henny’s marketing prowess and customer liaison capability has resulted in her since becoming the relationship manager for Queen City Law’s immigration and investor clients. She also assists with a range of applications from Investor to Visitor visas.

She has a wealth of experience from her previous firm in Singapore. Henny’s key areas of focus are Immigration Law, particularly investor immigration.

Henny is a much-valued member of QCL’s large and award-winning Immigration Team. She mentors some of the younger staff and can always be relied upon for sound advice. Henny also speaks fluent Indonesian.

3 April 2024