INTERNATIONAL LAW

Elana has comprehensive experience in all aspects of public international law and its application in New Zealand. As a former diplomatic legal advisor she is familiar with diplomatic negotiations, drafting and interpreting international treaties, and implementing international obligations in domestic law. Elana is able to provide practical advice that makes sense in a real world context, taking account of surrounding political and strategic issues.

PuBLIC LAw

Drawing on her experience as a senior government lawyer, Elana is able to assist clients with a wide range of public law problems - whether advising on the exercise of statutory powers, reviewing legislative developments, or challenging public decisions directly or in the courts. She is regularly instructed to develop solutions to complex legal and policy problems and has experience with the preparation of both primary and delegated legislation.

Reviews and Inquiries

Elana has particular experience dealing with high profile and politically sensitive inquiries. She has represented interested parties in several New Zealand government inquiries, helping them to effectively navigate the inquiry process to protect their interests. Elana has also been appointed as an expert advisor to inquiries in New Zealand and internationally, tasked with providing both legal and strategic advice.

LAw of The SEA and Marine Environment

Elana has a particular expertise in the law of the sea and its interface with New Zealand law. She regularly advises clients on matters relating to fisheries and marine resources, protection of the marine environment, delimitation and the continental shelf. Elana appeared as counsel in the Southern Bluefin Tuna cases, the Whaling in the Antarctic case and the SRFC advisory opinion. She was head of the New Zealand delegation to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and has assisted a number of States with the preparation and presentation of their continental shelf submissions.

DISPUTE SETTLEMENT

Elana is available to assist with the resolution of disputes through negotiation, mediation or litigation. She has appeared as counsel in the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, an UNCLOS Annex VII Tribunal and the New Zealand Supreme Court. An experienced negotiatior, Elana is also a designated arbitrator under UNCLOS, the SPRFMO Convention and the Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty.