About Luke

With almost a decade of litigation experience, Luke has earned a reputation as a trusted and formidable criminal barrister. He regularly appears in pre-trial hearings and jury trials the High Court and District Court. Luke is recognised for his particular expertise in appellate litigation for his work in the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court to overturn wrongful convictions and excessive sentences.  His cases often involve working at the intersection of criminal law, human rights, privacy and media law. 

Graduating from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and Bachelor of Arts, Luke began his career as a Judge’s Clerk at the High Court of New Zealand, where he worked on a broad range of complex civil and criminal trials and appeals. He was a public defender and then a barrister employed by Nick Chisnall KC.

Luke holds a Master of Laws from New York Univeristy School of Law where he studied as a Fulbright Scholar. While in New York City Luke supported the work of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers in preparing thematic reports on contemporary international legal issues and individual claims of human rights violations such as arbitrary detention and unfair trials. He was also a Research Assistant at the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice, analysing specific impacts of climate change on international human rights. Luke received the NYU LLM Public Interest Fellowship, working on rights-consistent policing and public safety through strategic civil litigation and regulation of surveillance technologies and artificial intelligence. Luke then worked as a Legal Fellow at the Center for Appellate Litigation in Manhattan, to investigate and overturn wrongful convictions. Luke brings this valuable international perspective to his work.