Antoinette Vujnovich, Barrister
Eden Family Law Chambers LLB, BA

Antoinette Vujnovich is an experienced family lawyer who aims to reduce stress and achieve positive results for her clients.

Family proceedings can be a stressful and emotional experience. As your family lawyer, it is my role to be a source of knowledgeable advice and carefully-directed action, so that you can make progress towards a positive result.

My approach
From my base at Eden Family Law, I take a holistic view of your challenge. For your emotional support, I can connect you with relevant support agencies and services. To overcome your legal challenges I identify and discuss options with you, so that we can together decide on the best course of action. I aim to be accessible and responsive at all times.

My experience
I began practicing as a lawyer in 1998 and have an affinity with family proceedings. I specialise in care of children applications to the Family Court including:

• Custody and access
• Guardianship
• Child Youth and Family

My experience also extends to domestic violence applications (protection orders).

Professional affiliations
I belong to the Family Law Section of the New Zealand Law Society and I am a member of the New Zealand Law Society.

Why you should talk to me
I want my clients to feel 'looked after' during stressful times. By assisting you with the hard stuff, I help to make challenging times easier to navigate.

Simply pick up the phone and give me a call. If I'm not immediately available, I'll call you back at the first opportunity.

*Antoinette Vujnovich is a qualified legal aid lawyer, and legal aid is available for eligible clients.

Terms of Engagement, Antoinette Vujnovich, Barrister

These terms of engagement (“terms”) apply in respect of all work carried out by me for you, except to the extent otherwise agreed with you in writing.

I will:

  • Act competently, in a timely way, and in accordance with instructions received
  • Promote your interests and act for you free from compromising influences or loyalties
  • Discuss with you your objectives and how they should best be achieved
  • Charge you a fee that is fair and reasonable
  • Let you know how and when you will be billed
  • Give you clear information and advice
  • Protect your privacy and ensure appropriate confidentiality
  • Treat you fairly, respectfully and without discrimination
  • Keep you informed about the work being done and advise you when it is completed.

Services provided
The services I provide for you are outlined in my engagement letter.

My fee will be based on the time spent by me on your behalf and the criteria laid down by the New Zealand Law Society. The time spent by me on your behalf for which you will be charged will include:

  • Communications with you and with lawyers acting for the other party/parties i.e. meetings, correspondence, communications by telephone, fax and email
  • Analysing the law and facts of your case
  • Reading and considering documents and information related to your case
  • Necessary correspondence with third parties
  • Preparation of Court documents
  • Court appearances and preparation in advance
  • Instructing process servers and experts
  • Time spent travelling.

Charging basis
My method of charging is "time and attendance". Time spent is recorded in 6 minute units, with time rounded up to the next unit of 6 minutes. Your invoice may include charges for out of pocket expenses that have been incurred by me, on your behalf. These expenses are charged on to you at actual cost. For example, these expenses could include charges for serving documents, court filing fees, fees for on line reports.

The fees I will charge or the manner in which they will be arrived at, will be set out my our engagement letter.

If the engagement letter specifies a fixed fee, I will charge this for the agreed scope of our services.  Work which falls outside that scope will be charged on an hourly rate basis.  I will advise you as soon as reasonably practicable if it becomes necessary for us to provide services outside the agreed scope and, if requested, give you an estimate of the likely amount of the further costs.

Disbursements and expenses:  In providing services we may incur disbursements or have to make payments to third parties on your behalf.  These will be included in our invoice to you when the expense is incurred.  We may require an advance payment for the disbursements or expenses which we will be incurring on your behalf.  GST:  Is payable by you on our fees and charges.

Payment of fees
Invoices:  I will send interim invoices to you, usually monthly and on completion of the matter, or termination of our engagement. We may also send you an invoice when we incur a significant expense on your behalf.

Payment:  I usually require either: Payment of a retainer prior to work being undertaken on your matter.  This retainer is held in my instructing solicitors trust account and will be used to pay my invoice for your matter.
Payment in full of all charges outstanding at the conclusion of each appointment with you.

If your invoice has not been paid in full from the retainer on account, full payment is required upon receipt of the invoice.  Details for making payment are provided on the invoice.

My usual hourly rate is  $220 per hour plus gst & disbursements (out of pocket costs incurred on your behalf). My rate when undertaking Legal Aid matters is the fixed fee as specified by Ministry of Justice guidelines.

Third Parties:  Although you may expect to be reimbursed by a third party for my fees and expenses, and although my invoices may at your request or with your approval be directed to a third party, nevertheless you remain responsible for payment to me if the third party fails to pay me.

Failure to pay on time
I charge a late payment fee for every month if your account is overdue. This late payment fee is: $25.00 per month for outstanding balances.

You will be liable for any collection costs, including my time or that of any agent I engage for debt collection purposes, incurred in collecting overdue or unpaid amounts.

What happens to the information you provide
I will hold in confidence all information concerning you or your affairs that I acquire during the course of acting for you.  I will not disclose any of this information to any other person except:

  • To the extent necessary or desirable to enable us to carry out your instructions; or
  • To the extent required by law or by the Law Society’s Rules of Conduct and Client Care for Lawyers.

I will of course, not disclose to you confidential information which I have in relation to any other client.
You authorise me (without further reference to you) to destroy all files and documents for this matter (other than any documents that I hold in safe custody for you) 7 years after our engagement ends.

Termination of working relationship
You may terminate my retainer at any time. I may cease work on your matter in the event that you have an overdue amount owed to me or for any other reason set out in the Law Society's Rules of Conduct and Client Care for Lawyers.

In the event that our work relationship is terminated by either you or me, you will continue to be liable for outstanding amounts owed to me along with unbilled recorded time and disbursements up until the date of termination.

Conflicts of interest
I have procedures in place to identify and respond to conflicts of interest.  If a conflict of interest arises I will advise you of this and follow the requirements and procedures set out in the Law Society's Rules of Conduct and Client Care for Lawyers.

My duty of care
My duty of care is to you and not to any other person.  Before any other person may rely on our advice, we must expressly agree to this.

Anything else?
There is no need to sign these terms of engagement in order to accept them, you will accept these terms of engagement by continuing to instruct me to work for you.

I am entitled to change these Terms from time to time, in which case I will send you amended Terms.