Bernice began practicing law in South Africa in 1995. With over 20 years’ experience in the field of law, she relies on her vast professional and life experience to think “outside the box”, offering clients personalised proactive legal services with an emphasis on efficient, cost effective and tailor made solutions.
She has a Post Graduate Diploma in Company Law, as well as post graduate qualifications in International Relations and a Master’s Degree in International Trade and Investment Law. While international commercial law is aligned with her qualifications, since immigrating to New Zealand in 2009, Bernice decided to focus on family law. She found that the satisfaction of helping people with family law problems was greater than the rewards to be gained in commercial law practice.
Prior to concentrating solely on private practice, Bernice was a diplomat for about 10 years and worked in a team negotiating bilateral and multilateral agreements between countries. Her negotiation and mediation skills gained as a trained and experienced diplomat were transferred to her practice of family law and she assists her clients in reaching out of court settlements when possible.
Bernice is well travelled and very experienced at working in multicultural environments. She enjoys the rich cultural diversity that New Zealand offers. She has lived in the USA and Brazil and speaks fluent Brazilian Portuguese. She also has a working knowledge of French and Spanish.
Giving back to the community and public service is an important part of Bernice’s work. She volunteers once a week offering free family law advice to the public every Thursday. She enjoys the pleasure of meeting with clients without the pressure of the clock ticking and a client worrying about how much it costs rather than trying to discuss the problem. Ask her how to make a free appointment.
Contemplating court proceedings or just getting to grips with acknowledging that a problem exists in your relationship can be an intimidating process for most people. Bernice is dedicated to helping you identify the problem, face it and act to resolve it.
Bernice is approved by the Ministry of Justice as a Family Legal Advice Service (FLAS) provider and Legal Aid provider.