Aishwarya Bagchi
Senior Associate - Kaiwawao Mātāmua

PhD in Law, LLM (First Class Honours), LLB, BSc (Statistics and Economics)

Contact
asb@lcc.co.nz
+64 4 473 2163

 

Aishwarya is experienced in compliance-advisory work for public and private sector clients, health and safety matters, public law litigation and regulatory prosecutions. She appears regularly at the District Court and High Court in a range of matters. Before joining LCC, Aishwarya worked in one of New Zealand’s largest corporate law firms, acting for insurers and specialising in health and safety and earthquake litigation. She also completed a doctoral degree in public law from the University of Canterbury in 2019. In addition to her legal practice, Aishwarya is a legal tutor and guest lecturer in law at the University of Canterbury.

Recent and notable work:

  • Acting for the Attorney-General in proceedings by a former prisoner concerning the denial of her minimum entitlement during the COVID-19 pandemic (Mitchell v Attorney-General [2025] NZHC 172);

  • Acting for WorkSafe New Zealand in proceedings before the High Court as to whether a trust is a “person” who can be prosecuted under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (WorkSafe New Zealand v RHJY Trust [2023] NZHC 3871) (subject to appeal);

  • Appearing as junior counsel at the Court of Appeal representing a regional council (Page v Greater Wellington Regional Council [2024] NZCA 51; [2024] NZCA 383);

  • Advising and acting for a major government department in a range of judicial review proceedings and proceedings under the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990;

  • Representing a range of public bodies in prosecutorial and appeal litigation at the High Court and District Courts;

  • Advising regulators on investigations and prosecutions; and

  • Providing advice and presenting seminars to incorporated societies and charitable entities.