advocacy for all

D&S Law is a boutique law firm with a wealth of knowledge and experience across a range of areas of the law. Our team helps individuals, families and employers navigate the nuances and complications of immigration law. We provide honest, clear and reliable advice that has helped hundreds.

Stewart and Pooja have spent their careers connecting with clients and advising them through the difficult and happy times in their lives. Our reputation is built on the recommendations and respect of our clients who know they can rely on us.

Stewart Dalley is also regarded as an industry expert on all aspects of fertility law, including domestic and international surrogacy, sperm donor agreements, ECART legal reports and adoptions.

Pooja Sundar also specialises in family (domestic) violence matters.

 

Immigration

Picking up your entire life and moving to another country is not an easy task. We aim to make the legal side of this as easy and stress-free as possible for our clients. Unlike licensed immigration advisers, as lawyers, we can help our clients with the entire process from the initial applications to any reviews or appeals to courts and tribunals. Not only can we assist with ensuring your application is presented to Immigration New Zealand in the best way possible but also make sure that the right legal processes have been followed.

Employers

There have been so many changes in how employers go about hiring migrant workers. We can assist with accreditation applications, audits, and responding to Immigration New Zealand concerns.

 

Humanitarian/Refugee Claim

We have acted for numerous client in refugee claims, humanitarian appeals, ministerial requests and more. We have a wide cultural awareness and broad knowledge of changing world events which may affect your life and reason to stay in New Zealand.

Employees

Employment visas come in many forms; accredited Employer visas, talent etc. We have years of experience in assisting employees in obtaining visas so that businesses can function efficiently and successfully.

 

Families

There are various visas that fall under the family category - partnership, parent, grandparent, dependent child etc. We have the skills and the experience to help you navigate the complicated processes these visas can involve.

Appeals

Sometimes decisions do not seem quite right; we can go through them to determine whether you have a right of appeal to the Tribunal or Courts. We have the specialised expertise and legal knowledge to assist you.

 

Overstayers

If you are in New Zealand without a valid visa, there a few ways in which you can fix your situation. However, it is very important to put forward your best case possible to give you the best chance of staying in NZ. We can help.

Family

Stewart is the only lawyer in New Zealand specializing in adoption, surrogacy and family creation law who also has lived experience. He and his partner were the first same-sex de facto couple to adopt children in New Zealand. His personal experience, combined with his specialized knowledge makes Stewart the best advocate for his clients.   

Surrogacy

Stewart has lived experience of surrogacy – having three children through surrogacy. He has also advised and represented numerous clients, and presented at various seminars on the subject. Stewart knows surrogacy like no other.

Sperm donor

We can assist those seeking to donate or receive donated sperm with the drafting of agreements. We can also assist with the drafting of parentage agreements. This ensures that all parties are on the same page about the process.

ECART

When using a fertility clinic in New Zealand to assist in having a child, you will often require ECART (Ethical Committee on Assisted Reproductive Technology) approval. We can assist in the advising on and providing legal reports for ECART.

Adoption

Having adopted his own three children and successfully represented clients, Stewart knows the process both personally and professionally. We can assist with all aspects of the adoption - whether through surrogacy, traditional adoption or intercountry adoption.

 

Human Rights Law

Both Pooja and Stewart are keen advocates of human rights. We have experience with the Human Rights Review Tribunal and the Human Rights Commission mediation process.