The newly promoted lawyer has also been appointed as the firm’s cultural ambassador,
Norris Ward McKinnon (NWM) has elevated wills and estates lawyer Lemaluotiafau “Tia” Faiaoga to senior solicitor.
Faiaoga first joined the firm in 2019. She is part of the firm’s private client team, working on matters involving wills, enduring powers of attorneys and trusts and estates administration.
She has also conducted residential conveyancing related to trusts and estates. Prior to her tenure with NWM, Faiaoga operated in Wellington after obtaining law and commerce degrees at Victoria University.
Partner and team head Glenda Graham described Faiaoga as “an excellent networker who quickly builds trusting relationships with both clients and in the community in general.” This, NWM said, has been reflected in Faiaoga’s appointment to president of her local Business Network International chapter.
Graham also highlighted Faiaoga’s “empathetic, genuine and well-rounded approach” to assisting clients, which Graham pointed out “ensures not only that [Faiaoga’s] advice is legally sound but also practical and tailored to her clients’ needs and backgrounds.”
Faiaoga has also been appointed as NWM’s cultural ambassador, a move intended to spur the firm’s culture and diversity programme. The position is one that she is “highly motivated to champion through the firm and wider community,” NWM said.
“I am a child of migration – my grandfather travelled to New Zealand on a boat from Samoa in 1966 and has been a key role model in my life,” Faiaoga told NZ Lawyer. “I have been fortunate enough to be afforded this opportunity because of my faith and the sacrifices that others have made for me. I sincerely thank the partners for this opportunity, and I am excited for the journey ahead.”
