Ruby advises and acts on a range of public, regulatory and commercial matters. She has broad experience in civil and appellate criminal litigation. Her experience covers matters involving judicial review, tort, contract, property and resource management. Ruby has appeared in the District and High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Prior to joining the firm in 2025, Ruby was a judge’s clerk at the Supreme Court of New Zealand, worked in the Criminal Team at Crown Law and worked at a specialist litigation firm in Auckland. She graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an LLM in 2023 as a Chevening Scholar.
Recent and notable work:
Acting for a plaintiff pursuing a novel tort claim alleging harm caused by greenhouse gas emissions in respect of a number of complex pre-trial matters including applications for third party notices, representative orders and protective costs orders: Smith v Fonterra [2025] NZHC 1605 and Smith v Fonterra [2025] NZHC 940.
Acting for the plaintiff in a successful judicial review of the Department of Conservation’s decision to issue an authority to kill wildlife under the Wildlife Act 1953: Environmental Law Initiative v Department of Conservation [2025] NZHC 391.
Acting for the plaintiff in a judicial review of the Minister for Energy and Resources' decision to grant a petroleum exploration permit under the Crown Minerals Act 1991, including presenting submissions at a successful Supreme Court leave hearing: Students for Climate Solutions Inc v Minister of Energy and Resources [2025] NZSC 4 (leave decision), substantive decision reserved.
Acting for the Crown on an appeal relating to the payment of costs by the Crown in criminal cases under the Criminal Procedure Act 2011 and the Costs in Criminal Cases Act 1967: R v Lyttle [2022] NZCA 52.
Acting for the Crown defending a judicial review of a District Court Judge’s decision to stay a criminal prosecution: P v District Court at Manukau [2022] NZHC 1102.
Representing an Australian company in a mediation in respect of a complex multi-party trusts dispute.
Advising the FMA on a number of investigations.