The firm focuses on the public sector, and serves as the office of the Wellington Crown Solicitor
Wellington-based litigation specialist firm LukeCunninghamClere has added two principals and three senior associates to its roster, reported the New Zealand Law Society.
Principal Fiona Cleary and senior associate Ruth Harcourt are fresh faces at the firm, while principal Andrew Britton and senior associates Rushika de Silva and Tim Bain step into their new roles following a promotions round.
Cleary has considerable experience handling trials in the District and High Courts as a senior Crown prosecutor. She has tackled criminal appeals in the Court of Appeals, and has also appeared before the Fiji High Court.
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She has prosecuted serious crimes for the Crown, and has conducted regulatory prosecutions as well as civil asset recovery proceedings for the police commissioner.
Also a senior Crown prosecutor, Britton focuses on complex civil, regulatory, environmental, disciplinary and criminal proceedings. He has acted for clients in the Environment, District and High Courts.
He is a criminal law specialist with degrees from Oxford and Cambridge, and has spoken on the role of a prosecutor in sentencing at Oxford.
Bain joined LukeCunninghamClere in 2018 after clerking for a former Supreme Court chief justice. He has acted as a prosecutor in criminal and regulatory trials taking place in the District and High Courts.
His clients include regulators, public bodies, and disciplinary agencies in courts and specialist tribunals. He has also advised on the powers and obligations of public and disciplinary bodies.
A graduate of University College London, de Silva started with LukeCunninghamClere in 2015. She is knowledgeable in criminal prosecution and regulatory enforcement matters.
She has prosecuted trials at the District and High Courts, and has represented a number of regulatory bodies in prosecutions involving health and safety matters.
Harcourt has reviewed standards of state care and social work practices for the central government and handled Crown prosecutions in Christchurch. She has appeared before the District and High Courts on behalf of the Crown and government agencies.
She has handled many criminal prosecution and regulatory enforcement matters. She has also acted for private clients in family law proceedings and tackled relationship property-related cases.
LukeCunninghamClere employs seasoned Crown prosecutors, and specialises in handling public sector work. The firm serves as the office of the Wellington Crown Solicitor.