FIJIAN LEGAL EXPERTISE

Lal Patel Bale Lawyers often undertakes complex and high-profile domestic and international commercial litigation and matters, including:

• Bankruptcy Litigation;
• Company Reservation and Registration; 
• Contract Disputes;
• Corporate Fraud;
• Defamation;
• Domestic and International Litigation;
• Emergency and Equitable Relief;
• Exclusivity and Non-competes;
• Governance Issues;
• Injunctions;
• Insolvency and Restructuring;
• Investment Fiji Applications;
• Partnerships and Joint Ventures;
• Shareholder and Director Disputes; and
• Vendor Financing.

Our Civil Law and Litigation practice areas include:

• Accident Compensation and Personal Injury Actions;
• Commercial Disputes;
• Contractual Disputes
• Debt Recovery;
• Defamation;
• Estate Conveyancing and Litigation;
• Social Media, content creation, influencer and brand partnership legal services across Tik Tok, Facebook, Instagram, You-tube, print media and digital media.

Our Criminal Defence portfolio is our fastest-growing area of practice. With a particular specialisation in Bail and Criminal Appeals, our criminal law practice also, includes:

• Criminal Record searches including Police Clearance applications and Criminal employment vetting and verification;
• Criminal Complaint facilitation;
• Domestic Violence Offences, including Domestic Violence Restraining Orders (DVROS), Non-Contact Orders, Offences against Spouses, De-Facto Partners and Children;
• Driving Offences, including Dangerous Driving and Driving under the Influence;
• Drug Offences, including Cultivation and Possession of Marijuana, Cocaine and Methamphetamine;
• Financial Crimes, including Obtaining Financial Advantage and Money Laundering;
• Homicide and Manslaughter; 
• Reconcilable offences and facilitation of reconciliation;
• Sexual Offences, including Sexual Assault and Rape;
• Theft, Burglary and Robbery;
• Violent Crimes, including Assault; and
• Working with Juvenile Offenders.

Our Fiji Employment Law portfolio includes:

• Advice on Employment Mediation and the Employment Tribunal;
• Contracts for Financial Compensation;
• Drafting or Negotiating Employment Agreements;
• Employment Disputes and Litigation;
• Employment record searches and verification including Police Clearances;
• Non-Compete and Non-Disclosure Clauses and Agreements;
• Non-Payment of Wages;
• Severance and Just Cause Matters;
• Workplace Harassment and Discrimination; and
• Wrongful Terminations.

With increasing pressure to ensure that what we do and how we do it is environmentally friendly, compliant and sustainable, Environmental Law is more relevant than ever. We advise clients on issues of:

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• Advice and Opinions on Climate Change, Environmental Issues and Sustainable Practices;
• Climate Change Policy Drafting;
• Environmental Compliance and Due Diligence;
• Environmental Disputes and Damages arising from Projects or Developments;
• Environmental Litigation;
• Environmental Policy Drafting; and
• Energy and Private Power Supply including Pricing.

Our expertise in Family matters spans the width and breadth of Family Law, including:

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• Adoptions and Custody Matters;
• Child Abuse;
• Child Abduction and Hague Convention Applications; 
• Child and Spousal Maintenance;
• Divorces, Annulments and Separations;
• Legal, Traditional and De-Facto Relationships;
• Parental Maintenance;
• Parenting Plans;
• Pre-Nuptial Deeds;
• Property Settlements including Medium and High Net Worth Settlements; and
• Social Welfare Reports and Investigations.

Lal Patel Bale Lawyers offers a range of Fiji Immigration law related legal services, whether an individual, group or business, we can help. Our expertise includes:

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• Applications for Release of Passports in Criminal Matters;
• Bridging Visas;
• Character waivers and appeals for visa applications;
• Criminal Police clearances and checks for visa applications;
• Departure Prohibition Orders (DPOs);
• Deportation and Extradition Proceedings;
• Immigration Advice and Assistance;
• Migrant and Tourist Visa Issues;
• Naturalisation and Acquisition of Fijian Citizenship; 
• Search, extraction and uplifting of records from Birth's, Deaths and Marriages (BDM); and
• Work Permits.

Our Conveyancing and Land Law practice covers a wide variety of transactions, land sizes, types and locations, including:

• Estate Transfers;
• De-Reservation of Land
• Itaukei Land Trust Board (ITLTB) Consents; 
• Ministerial Consents;
• Property Developments; 
• Property Transactions including Commercial, Residential and Agricultural; 
• Re-Entry of Land Matters;
• Sale and Purchase of Islands and Resorts;
• Sale and Purchase of Native Lease and Crown Lease Land; and
• Security Documentation including Mortgages, Debentures, Guarantees, Bonds, Undertakings, Charges and Liens.

As parties increasingly turn away from litigation, mediation and dispute resolution processes are becoming increasingly attractive solutions.

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Mediation allows parties to find a practical and immediate solution acceptable to all involved. Parties find mediation attractive as it provides a timely and cost-effective remedy to ongoing disputes while in many instances allowing a greater chance at relationship preservation.

If you are looking for reliable Fiji lawyers that are ready to tackle your mediation and dispute resolution problems - contact us today!

Lal Patel Bale Lawyers are leaders in Notary services in Fiji. As of 2023, we have three Notary Public's who work across our three offices.

​Our Notaries can: 

• Administer oaths and affirmations;
• Assist with documentation that is translated or requires translation;
• Witness and certify local and international documents for use overseas;
• Witness and certification school, job, or immigration applications and supporting documentation for use outside of Fiji;
• Witness the execution of affidavits, statutory declarations, powers of attorney, contracts and other documents for use overseas; 
• Witness photographs and identity documentation such as passports and birth certificates for use overseas;
• Verify documents for use overseas. 

Some documents may require an Apostille, a certification/authentication process only done by the Ministry of Foreign affairs in Fiji. Our team can also help you with this process or the uplifting of original documents for either of these processes.

Please contact our offices directly if you require documents to be Notarized or have a query about Notarizations.

Lal Patel Bale Lawyers can draft and render legal opinions, provide legal advice, and review and vet your policy documents. Including updating existing policy documents and preparing new policy documents to ensure compliance with changing domestic and International Law.

Our team is also equipped and experienced in legislation review and redrafting, regulation review and updates, drafting of manuals, internal guides and handbooks, standard operating procedures, stakeholder engagement and presentations on any of the above areas. We can also facilitate internal staff trainings on legal compliance, rights, duties and the implementation of new legal measures, regulations and internal policies.

​We can also assist in the drafting and vetting of public circulars, press releases, tenders, annual reports, publications, corporate plans and newsletters.

Lal Patel Bale Lawyers provides our clients with in-depth knowledge on the legal, financial and environmental issues associated with Property Development, Real Estate and Construction in Fiji. We work with various stakeholders, including developers, contractors, architects, real estate agents and numerous other stakeholders. Our firms can assist in:

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• Commercial Tenancies;
• Contract Negotiations;
• Construction Defects;
• Development Financing;
• Dispute Resolution and Mediation between Tenants, Landlords, Developers and Land-Owners;
• Issues with both Commercial and Residential Property;
• Property Development and Subdivisions;
• Property and Project Due Diligence;
• Property Transfers; and
• Sale and Purchase of Property.

Tax Law and Customs is a specialist niche service area our firm provides. We work closely with clients, other law firms, accounting firms and relevant Tax and Customs bodies both locally and internationally to ensure a successful outcome. We endeavour to ensure that individuals or companies can arrive at the most favourable outcome for them. We do this by reviewing each client’s specific tax circumstances and needs. Our areas of practice include:

• Audit assistance, preparation and negotiation;
• Advice on dividends and withholding tax, royalty tax, branch profits, money laundering, seizure and forfeiture of good and tariff classification of goods;
• Advice on taxation rulings including depreciation, fringe benefits, employee share schemes, redundancy payments, administration of tax amnesty's, administrative penalties and VAT refunds;
• Capital Gains Tax (CGT);
• Company structures and restructuring for appropriate Tax compliance;
• Experienced in the oil and petroleum sectors, hotel and tourism industry, construction sector, film industry and production sectors and domestic and international tax harmonisation;
• In house training, workshops and presentations on  tax penalties, property tax transactions, transfer pricing, taxation on dividends, legal enforcement powers, general tax compliance, double tax treaties, custom and duties, VAT and auditing;
• Investment Fiji Applications;
• Tax advice and compliance for Professional Practice;
• ​Tax assessments on asset acquisitions;
• Tax Compliance and Tax Payment Plans;
• Tax Litigation;
• Tax planning for individuals, groups and companies
• TIN Registrations;
• Technical opinions and advisory documents on Tax issues including on assessments, reassessments, audits and penalties;
• Value Added Tax (VAT); and
• Working with institutional bodies such as Investment Fiji and Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA).

Do you have something of value, be it cash, bonds, property, jewellery or the family pet? Do you want to ensure your family, friends or favourite charities are adequately taken care of in the event of your death? Then proper estate planning is imperative. Our firm can assist you with:​

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• Estate Administration, Distribution and Probates;
• Estate Planning;
• Guardianships;
• Powers of Attorney;
• Share Renunciations by Beneficiaries;
• Transmissions by Death;
• Trusts; and
• Wills.

Debt Recovery is one of our fastest-growing portfolio areas, with domestic, regional and international recovery actions. Our dedicated Recovery Team works with our clients to prompt debtors to resolve their debts and employ the most cost effective strategies to ensure successful recoveries. We provide a full range of Debt Recovery and Resolution services, including:

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• Pre-litigation measures such as Letters of Demand or Statutory Demands.
• Negotiated Settlements and Payment Plans
•  Commencement of Proceedings
• Defending Claims includes setting Aside Default Judgements, Statutory Demands and Disputing Debts.
• Enforcement Proceedings include obtaining Default Judgements, enforcing judgements, Bankruptcy proceedings and Winding Ups Actions.

We act for notable domestic and international clients offering services in Fiji and the South Pacific Islands.