Reviews cover all types of ACC decisions, including declined cover, suspended weekly compensation, treatment disputes, and vocational assessments. A well-prepared review can resolve matters without the need for a court appeal. The review is heard by an independent reviewer, not an ACC employee. Both sides present evidence and submissions.

• Representation at the review hearing
• Written submissions on law and evidence
• Liaison with ACC before and during the process
• Advice on strategy throughout

This is often the most important step. It determines the strategy: what arguments are available, what evidence is missing, and whether a review or appeal is the right path. File reviews are particularly useful if you have received an unfavourable decision and are not sure what went wrong, or if you have been through a review without legal representation and want to understand what happened.

District Court appeals are heard de novo — the facts and medical evidence are heard again, not simply legal argument about whether the reviewer applied the law correctly. They are more formal than reviews. If your appeal succeeds, ACC will generally pay your legal costs. If the appeal is unsuccessful, you may bear your own costs, though legal aid is available regardless of outcome. A careful assessment of prospects at the outset matters for exactly this reason — though legal aid might be available regardless of outcome.

High Court ACC appeals are reserved for cases where there is a genuine and arguable point of law. The threshold is higher than a District Court appeal. If you are considering this step, I will give you a frank assessment of whether the legal question you have is one that meets that threshold.

Weekly compensation is the income replacement paid to claimants who cannot work because of their injury. Disputes arise about when entitlements began, whether they were correctly calculated, and whether ACC had grounds to reduce or suspend them. Backdated claims can involve substantial arrears.

• Backdated weekly compensation claims
• Reinstatement of suspended entitlements
• Historical claims and arrears
• Loss of potential earnings disputes

Cover depends on whether your injury arose from an accident, a work-related gradual process, treatment injury, or in some cases a criminal act. The definition of accident is broader than most people think, but ACC does not always get the assessment right. Was this injury caused in the way the claimant says? Is a later condition a consequence of the original injury? These are legal and medical questions that require careful analysis and the right specialist evidence.

A well-briefed specialist report does more than confirm an injury. It engages with the causation questions, responds to ACC's own medical positions, and gives a reviewer or judge the evidence they need to decide in your favour. I do not simply ask for a report. I identify the questions that need to be answered and make sure they are addressed directly.

• Identification of appropriate independent specialists
• Preparation of detailed briefs and questions for specialists
• Analysis of ACC's medical reports and preparation of responses
• Coordination of evidence across multiple specialists where needed

ACC has increasingly moved toward settlement and negotiated resolution, particularly for complex, historical, or long-standing cases. In some situations, a direct approach achieves a better outcome for the client than a contested hearing. This requires understanding how ACC operates internally, having established professional relationships with ACC managers and case specialists, and knowing when a negotiated outcome is genuinely in the client's interest. I have those relationships and that understanding. My clients' interests always come first, but achieving a fair result quickly and without unnecessary stress is always the preferred outcome where it is possible.

Historical claims often require locating old records, working with transitional provisions in the legislation, and building evidence around circumstances that are difficult to reconstruct. Complex regional pain syndrome is a condition ACC has historically been reluctant to accept, but which is increasingly recognised in the case law. These cases require persistence and specialist medical support.

Sensitive claims relate to historical, physical and mental injuries relating to sexual violence or abuse. They have their own pathway within the ACC system.

I can help with:

Legal aid is available for most sensitive claim matters. Everything is confidential. The first call is free.

• Lodging sensitive claims
• Reviewing entitlements, including backdated weekly compensation
• Reviewing declined sensitive claims
• Loss of Potential Earnings (LOPE) claims arising from sensitive claim cover
• Working with ACC's sensitive claims unit

POSSE stands for Payment Outside of Statutory Entitlements. To succeed, a claim requires a provable and serious ACC service failure, and demonstrable loss, both financial and otherwise. I have experience with these claims and can advise whether your circumstances might support one.