Back in person, just as you requested! Gain practical strategies and updates on legislation and case law from judges, prosecutors, and defence counsel. You will learn to navigate effective trial preparation, evidence handling, bail issues, and sentencing cases. Additionally, stay informed about developments in forensic DNA, client management strategies, and ethical considerations in sexual and family violence offences, as well as the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act. Gain insights into non-party disclosure and its implications plus more.

Presenters

John Munro, Director, John Munro Criminal Lawyer
John Munro, specializing in criminal defense, offers advice and protection to individuals facing criminal and regulatory charges. He provides robust advocacy in court, ensuring fair trials and thorough defense representation for his clients, supported by a team of experts in their respective fields.


Fiona Culliney, Partner, Meredith Connell
Fiona prosecutes serious sexual violence cases, homicide, large-scale drug operations and financial crime. She has the innate ability to work compassionately alongside victims of crime. Fiona has trial experience related to commercial drug offending and associated money laundering, and brings forfeiture proceedings under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009. She also provides litigation for and advice to the Commerce Commission in respect of criminal cartel conduct. She appears on behalf of the Crown in appeals to the High Court and the Court of Appeal, and has further interest and expertise in extradition proceedings for other governments in the New Zealand courts.


Paige McElhinney, Director, Forensic Science Consultant, The Forensic Group
Paige McElhinney has worked in forensic science for over 20 years. She has worked for both the Crown, at ESR, and the defence, now a Director and forensic science consultant for The Forensic Group Ltd. Her areas of knowledge and expertise include - crime scene examination, body fluid identification, blood stain pattern interpretation, clothing damage, hair comparisons, footwear impression location, recovery and comparison and using DNA results to assist in interpretations. Paige was the Doctors for Sexual Abuse Care (DSAC) (now MEDSAC) liaison at ESR and represented ESR at training courses on sexual abuse for medical personnel run by DSAC, as well as at the training of Police Medical Officers. She was also part of the team that developed the most recent medical examination kit and co-authored the chapters on Forensic Specimens and Forensic Science and Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault in The Medical Management of Sexual Assault (Sixth Edition 2006), published by DSAC.


Katie Hogan, Barrister & Solicitor, City Chambers
After working as a senior criminal prosecutor, Katie joined the Independent Bar and became a member of City Chambers in October 2018. Katie has in excess of 19 years’ trial experience and works for both prosecuting entities and defendants in a wide spectrum of serious cases. Criminal Proceeds is a particular specialty of Katie’s. Katie is an approved criminal legal aid lawyer (all levels) and civil legal aid lawyer. She serves on the NZ Bar Association Criminal Committee, the NZLS Litigation Skills Programme, and is a member of a number of government prosecution panels.


Lynne Mathieson, Legal and Research Counsel, Office of the Chief Coroner
Lynne Mathieson has worked within the Criminal Justice sector for over 25 years. Lynne joined the Police in 1996 and served as a frontline officer in rural areas such as New Plymouth, Tokoroa, Mangakino, and Paeroa. She then made her way to South Auckland where she was promoted to Sergeant and spent time as a Prosecutor in both the Otahuhu and Manukau District Courts. Eventually, she went back on the streets where she was promoted to the rank of Senior Sergeant. Her last sworn role was as Senior Sergeant in charge of the Otara station. In order to juggle family commitments better, she left as a sworn officer and took up various Police non-sworn contract roles within the Counties Manukau District. These included setting up the Investigative Support Unit (ISU), managing the Counties Manukau South, Criminal Justice Support Unit (CJSU), and conducting reviews and training at various levels of the organization. She graduated from AUT law school in 2016 and worked again as a Police prosecutor in Manukau, Papakura, and Pukekohe. She swapped to the Defence in January 2023 when she took up a Senior Solicitor role with Gold Legal Ltd. During her session, she aims to pass on practical advice regarding navigating the lead up to trial, while also prompting thought and discussion regarding the challenges facing both Prosecution and Defence within the Criminal Justice environment.


Anoushka Bloem, Principal, Bloem & Associates
Anoushka Bloem founded Bloem Law as the largest specialist criminal defence practice in Auckland. She has established a large team of criminal lawyers who focus solely on criminal law, offering transformative outcomes for her clients. Anoushka specialises in jury trials for serious crime. She conducts jury trials in the Auckland region District Courts and the High Court. Anoushka represents people charged with the full spectrum of criminal charges including sexual, violence, drug and dishonesty charges. Anoushka has 21 years’ experience in the area of criminal law.


Yvonne Mortimer-Wang, Barrister, Britomart Chambers
Yvonne is a Barrister at Britomart Chambers. She is an experienced criminal and civil litigator with particular expertise in serious fraud, commercial (‘white-collar’) crimes, proceeds of crime, civil fraud, regulatory, disciplinary proceedings and investigations. Yvonne is a board member of New Zealand Asian Lawyers, and co-chairs its litigation committee. She is also a co-chair of the Advocacy Committee of the New Zealand Bar Association. Yvonne is a member of the prosecution panel for the Serious Fraud Office, and has been appointed counsel assisting in High Court and Supreme Court proceedings. Before Britomart Chambers, Yvonne most recently held tenancy at Shortland Chambers. Prior to that, she worked as a Crown prosecutor at Meredith Connel, where she also acted for government clients in civil proceedings. Yvonne has a degree in Law and Commerce (Finance) from the University of Auckland and a Master of Public and International Law from the University of Melbourne with First Class Honours. Yvonne was the 2016 Arthur Watts Fellowship intern at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law (London) and an Inner Temple Pegasus Scholar (London) in 2018.


Nathan Batts, Partner, Molloy Hucker
Nathan is the litigation partner at Auckland City firm, Molloy Hucker. He has worked both in private practice and for the Crown and local councils as a prosecutor. Nathan’s current practice is focused on criminal and regulatory defence work (including defending proceeds of crime applications by the Commissioner of Police) as well as a broad range of civil and employment-related litigation. Nathan has full criminal and civil legal aid approval. He is a member of the Law Association’s Criminal Law Committee, a lawyer member of a National Standards Committee, and part of the Court Martial defence panel.


Philip Hamlin, Barrister, Hamlin Law
Philip is an experienced Criminal Barrister with extensive involvement across a wide range of criminal trials, appeals and related civil hearings. He is a former Crown Prosecutor with over 38 years of experience. He has a BA in psychology, LLB Honours degree and a Master of Jurisprudence from Auckland University. Phil is recognised for his expertise in criminal law, specifically in sex crimes, child abuse and homicides, expert evidence cases, appeals, mental health, pornography and computer-internet crime. More recently Phil has been involved in the case of R v Tongia which has revisited the scope of fitness hearings and trial rights for mentally unfit defendants. Philip is the chairman of the National Office for Professional Standards for The Catholic Church in Aotearoa New Zealand. He advises on practical protocols to respond to sexual abuse complaints and to correct and further prevent abuse within the Church by implementing safeguarding programmes.


Maree Cross, Barrister, Lorne Street Chambers
Maree practices in criminal and civil litigation. In addition to her LLB (Hons)/BA from the University of Auckland (graduating with a Senior Prize and Senior Scholarship respectively), she holds an LLM (graduating as a Scholar) from Columbia University, New York. Maree was full-time junior to David PH Jones KC as well as a Senior Associate in litigation at MinterEllisonRuddWatts. She joined the independent bar in 2016 at Lorne Street Chambers with Mr Jones. She has acted for a number of high-profile individuals and appears regularly in the District and High Courts, with particular expertise in the criminal jury trial jurisdiction. She is Convenor of one of the Auckland Standards Committees, member of the NZLS National S30 Interview Panel, and contributing author to the Thomson Reuters’ text, “Privacy Law in New Zealand”. Maree also conducts Certificate of Character interviews on behalf of NZLS.


Todd Simmonds KC, Lorne Stree Chambers
Todd was admitted to the bar in 1990 and specialises in criminal litigation. He has extensive trial experience in the High and District Courts and has appeared many times as lead counsel in the Court of Appeal. Prior to becoming a barrister sole in 2004, Todd was a senior prosecutor with Meredith Connell, the office of the Auckland Crown Solicitor. He has been a member of the Auckland Crown Solicitor's panel since 2004 and was appointed to the Manukau Crown Solicitor's panel upon its inception in 2015. Todd was appointed to the Serious Fraud Office prosecution panel in 2010. Todd has served as deputy chair of the New Zealand Bar Association’s criminal law committee and is a past convenor of the Auckland District Law Society's criminal law committee. Todd is a regular presenter on all aspects of criminal law.


Robin McCoubrey, Partner, Meredith Connell
Robin's experience includes prosecuting trials of the utmost seriousness, including high-profile cases of homicide, profit-driven organised criminal offending and serious sexual offending. He has appeared in over 100 jury trials before the District and High Courts. He also regularly appears for the Crown in the Court of Appeal and, in one instance, the Supreme Court. He also has considerable experience acting in proceeds of crime litigation, as well as advising and appearing for a number of regulatory bodies.


Henry Steele, Partner, Meredith Connell
Henry has a broad range of criminal and commercial litigation experience, and regularly prosecutes jury trials in the High Court and District Court, as well as representing the Crown in the Court of Appeal. He specialises in prosecuting organised crime, particularly commercial drug offending and the laundering of its proceeds, as well as culpable homicide, serious sexual violence, including complex multiple complainant cases, and cases involving national security. Henry also advises and represents Police, NZ Customs and the Department of Corrections, and appears in a number of specialist tribunals on behalf of regulatory agencies.


Her Hon. Judge Kirsten Lummis, The District Court of New Zealand
Kirsten Lummis was appointed to the District Court Bench in 2021 and holds a jury warrant. Prior to her judicial appointment, she had an extensive career as a Senior Crown Prosecutor. She joined the Auckland Crown Solicitor’s office in 2005, following her work as a criminal defence lawyer under Susan Hughes KC at Govett Quilliam in New Plymouth. In 2014, Kirsten became a Partner at Meredith Connell, where she prosecuted numerous sexual violence trials in both the District and High Courts. A dedicated advocate for victims and survivors of sexual abuse, she has actively highlighted the challenges they face in jury trial settings in New Zealand.