Legal experts with a shared belief that New Zealand can lead the fight against climate change.

We are lawyers who want to use our legal skills and experience to ensure a better future for everyone.  We are barristers, solicitors, and legal academics.  We come from all over New Zealand and have specialist expertise in many different areas of the law.  

We accept that the scientific evidence shows that climate change will cause global catastrophe unless we cut emissions now and achieve zero net carbon emissions by 2050.  

We believe that New Zealand can and should do more in the global fight against climate change.  We want to make sure that New Zealand meets its obligations under the Paris Agreement to reduce emissions and that it does so in a way that is evidence-based, effective, and consistent with the rule of law, Te Tiriti o Waitangi, international law, and with the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act. 

Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc. is a New Zealand registered charity.  

Jessica Palairet - Executive Director

Jessica is LCANZI’s Executive Director. Jessica has a background as a lawyer, having worked at the United Nations, as a Junior Barrister at Shortland Chambers, and as a judge’s clerk. Jessica has a Masters of Law from New York University, specialising in climate litigation, and started her role with LCANZI on her return to New Zealand in late 2023.

Our Committee

The LCANZI Committee is elected each year by the members of Lawyers for Climate Action NZ Inc.

Bronwyn Carruthers KC - President

Bronwyn has been LCANZI President since March 2023. Bronwyn is one of New Zealand’s leading environmental lawyers specialising in resource management litigation, and is a barrister at Shortland Chambers. As President, Bronwyn oversees all of LCANZI’s mahi and overarching strategy.

Sophie Meares - Secretary

Sophie has been LCANZI’s Secretary since 2021. Sophie is Senior Legal Counsel at Christchurch City Council and is also an ILANZ Committee Member. As Secretary, Sophie works hard to ensure we are meeting all of our obligations under our constitution. Sophie was instrumental in registering LCANZI as a charity in 2022. 

Dr James Every-Palmer KC - Treasurer

James founded LCANZI alongside Jenny Cooper KC in 2019 and has been LCANZI’s Treasurer since the beginning. James is an experienced commercial litigator at Stout Street Chambers. He has used his skills to appear in a number of climate litigation cases. He appeared for LCANZI in our ongoing judicial review of the Climate Change Commission and our successful judicial review of the ETS settings. James also chairs LCANZI’s Emissions Trading Scheme subcommittee which has made several submissions on the ETS.

Jenny Cooper KC

Jenny founded LCANZI alongside James in 2019 and was LCANZI’s President for over 3 years. Jenny passed the baton to Bronwyn in March 2023 but re-joined the Committee later in the year. Jenny is a highly regarded commercial litigator at Shortland Chambers in Auckland. Before stepping down as President, Jenny was involved in almost all LCANZI projects in some way. Jenny represented LCANZI in our judicial review of the Climate Change Commission in early 2022 and is involved in our other litigation projects.

Michael Sharp

Michael has been an LCANZI Committee member since 2019. Michael is a civil litigation barrister specialising in commercial disputes, employment matters and Māori issues. Michael has previously chaired our Local Government subcommittee and in 2022 published a highly requested ‘guide to climate change related obligations of local government authorities’.

Dr Grant Hewison

Grant has been an LCANZI Committee member since 2022. He is Director of Grant Hewison & Associates where he advises on a wide range of local government and resource management matters. Grant is the chair of our Local Government subcommittee which has been making submissions and writing letters to Ministers. 

Debra Dorrington

Debra recently joined the LCANZI Committee in 2023. Debra is a sustainability consultant and a property lawyer currently working in-house at Kāinga Ora. Before joining the Committee, Debra was LCANZI’s pro bono coordinator and has been instrumental in our ongoing work with NZLS to implement a resolution on climate change and guidance on climate conscious legal practice.  

Frankie McKeefry

Frankie has been an LCANZI Committee member since 2022. He is a former corporate lawyer turned sustainability consultant. Frankie is the chair of LCANZI’s corporate governance subcommittee which is working toward having climate change recognised as a director’s duty. He has also been doing some important mahi on LCANZI’s strategic planning and development.

Legal Assistance

LCANZI is an incorporated society whose members are lawyers, legal academics and law students committed to using their legal skills to help to drive the change needed to address the threat of climate change. 

We recognise that there are many other individuals and groups in New Zealand who are also committed to this, but would sometimes benefit from access to lawyers to assist them, LCANZI has established a panel of lawyers who are willing to assist community groups and individuals on a reduced fee, or pro bono, basis. 

Any community group or individual who think that they could benefit from such assistance  can contact the pro-bono coordinator who will discuss with them whether LCANZI members can offer support and if so will put them in contact with a suitable lawyer.