The LawAid Team

CRAIG TUCK - HEAD OF CHAMBERS

Craig Tuck is Founder and Director of LawAid International Chambers. He is a Barrister and Litigation Director specializing in human right cases and transnational criminal law - especially in the Southern Hemisphere. Craig trained in England and New Zealand and has two masters degrees, including an MPhil in criminology from the Law Faculty at Cambridge University. Craig has a high profile in media presence in print, online and film.

Craig is responsible for the planning and implementation of large scale civil and criminal litigation requiring diverse teams of specialists, dealing with complex jurisdiction and procedural issues, on land and sea. Craig has received commendations and references from the United Nations for strategic litigation in the maritime sector (involving human trafficking for forced labour).

Craig has directly acted for victims of human trafficking, security personnel, rock stars, diplomats, people charged with organized crime or detained abroad. He has successfully taken numerous cases against government departments – including Police, Justice and Corrections, and has successfully achieved legal remedies against multi-national corporations.

Craig has spoken at international conferences about strategic litigation and has advised a number of international NGOS on aspects of strategic litigation that advances the rule of law. For direct contact, consulting, public speaking or representation – please contact service@lawaidinternational.org.

DR THOMAS HARRÉ - BARRISTER

Thomas Harré is a barrister, practicing in Christchurch, New Zealand. Thomas holds an LL.M(dist) degree from the University of Canterbury, and has a Ph.D from Melbourne Law School.

Thomas is a specialist in transnational criminal law, particularly in the area of human trafficking. Thomas combines practice with research, and has published and presented widely. He has given advice on issues of forced labour and human trafficking in a number of cases in Southeast Asia, and has consulted to the United Nations.

Thomas is a member of the New Zealand Law Society’s Human Rights and Privacy law reform committee.

Contact Thomas directly: thomas@thomasharre.com

MAX WIDI - ATTORNEY

Max graduated from the Faculty of Law at Bung Karno University in Jakarta Indonesia. He specialises in criminal law, and has worked on a number of significant international drug trafficking matters. Max is a former Litigation partner of the Jakarta-based Samudra Yudalaksana and Partners. He is a former member of Dwi Santoso and Partners law firm; and Samudra Sembiring & Clarissa law firm, in Jakarta. Max can be contacted at service@lawaidinternational.org.

GREG BARNS SC - BARRISTER

Greg Barns practices as a barrister in Australia.  He practices from chambers in Hobart and Melbourne specialising in criminal law, administrative law and human rights.  

Greg is also a sessional lecturer in the Juris Doc program at RMIT University in Melbourne.  He is a former political adviser at the federal and state levels in Australia.  Greg is a member of Julian Assange’s legal team.  He has appeared in many cases pro bono for asylum seekers in Australia.  Greg is a former National President of the Australian Lawyers Alliance and is a spokesman for the Alliance on criminal justice and human rights issues.

He was appointed Senior Counsel in Tasmania in 2020.

DAVID HAMMOND - NON-PRACTICING BARRISTER

David Hammond, is a non-practising English Barrister, former military seafarer and retired Royal Marines’ Officer. He was the first in-house Counsel in the British Royal Marines.

David’s international advisory work has been recognised by the UK Government, the UN and European institutions. His work has been quoted by, and he has spoken in, the European Parliament on migration and deprivation of liberty matters. He has published and co-authored numerous maritime human rights publications, and has been instructed in leading legal and advisory roles for European Union missions around the world as a former member of the UK’s Stabilisation Unit.

He is a leading advocate for the on-going international development and drive for the explicit codification of the concept of ‘Human Rights at Sea’ throughout the maritime environment, and its inclusion in applicable future national and international legislation. He founded the Human Rights at Sea UK-based charity in 2014.

A finalist for Maritime Lawyer of the Year in the 2013 Lloyds List Awards and was UK Counsel to the Libyan National Council for Civil Liberties and Human Rights (NCCLHR) where he conceived and introduced the ‘Declaration for Adoption of Business and Human Rights’ into Libya for the first time on 19 January 2014 and where he represented rape victims in their fight for justice.

RICHARD ZHANG - ATTORNEY

Richard Zhang (Jie Zhang 张捷) graduated from Xi'an International Studies University. He passed the Chinese Bar Exam in 1998. Based in Guangzhou, he has practised in the PRC since 2007. He has represented multiple defendants from the USA, the Middle East, Africa, and other parts of the world. He has successfully defended clients involved in drug trafficking and financial fraud. He also practises in the field of business law. Richard is an active environmental lawyer. He is connected with different NGOs, speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English, and is determined to make the world clean and green.

THERESE BOGART - PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR

Therese is a licensed Commercial and Private Inquiry Agent in New South Wales, Australia and Private Investigator for New Zealand.  She holds a Master Licence in Investigations and Surveillance and a Nationally Accredited Diploma in Government Investigations.  Therese is a Certified Cyber Intelligence Investigator with 10 years’ experience specializing in romance scam investigations.  Therese responds to scam victims worldwide and is a member of MULE.  Master Licence No:  411173248

MICHAEL POLAK - BARRISTER

Michael Polak is a barrister at the Bar of England & Wales practicing from Chambers in London. As well as defending in trials for serious criminal offences in the domestic courts Michael also carries out private prosecutions, a unique specialism which allows those who have been the victim of crimes to hold those responsible to account when the authorities fail to act.

Michael also has an international practice which focusses on international legal assistance, the assistance of foreign nationals and lawyers who get into trouble around the world. In this area Michael has represented clients in Belarus, Myanmar, Bangladesh, and the Middle East. His expertise includes negotiating with client’s foreign ministries to garner support for them, giving information to the media to create interest around a client’s cases, providing advices on the fairness of proceedings and whether clients have had trials which respected due process to be used to lobby for release, making applications to United Nation’s human rights bodies, and submitting applications for clemency and legal submissions.

Michael’s international practice also contains public international law where he represents marginalised groups who have had their human rights infringed upon. He also has experience making applications to remove INTERPOL Red Notices and has written for Westlaw on the law in this area.

Michael’s education includes a Master’s degree in Public International Law from the London School of Economics and Political Science and his dissertation on the Jadhav Case between India and Pakistan currently before the International Court of Justice concerning the rights of imprisoned foreign nationals to have access to their consulate was published by Indian Journal of Public International law.

SIMRAN DIPNARAIN - BARRISTER AND SOLICITOR (UK, SOUTH AFRICA)

Simran Dipnarain is a cross-qualified Lawyer in South Africa and Solicitor in England and Wales. She is accredited to Level 2 Supervisor under the IAAS. 

She is a specialist in all aspects of Immigration, Asylum and Human Rights. She has experience in conduct of complex asylum appeals, and Judicial Review Matters.

With over 20 years of legal experience ranging from Family, Employment, Contracts, Immigration and Compliance, Simran’s versatility in applying the law gives her clients’ the edge to succeed.

Simran has been practising Immigration Law in the United Kingdom since 2009 seeing swathes of Immigration rule changes over the decades. New Zealand’s Immigration rules largely reflect the Immigration rules adopted in the United Kingdom.  Simran’s vast experience puts her on the forefront of assisting her clients within the New Zealand rapidly changing immigration landscape.

Simran possesses in-depth knowledge of the immigration rules and has an excellent track record representing both applicant and employers.

She has experience in advising employers acquire and retain Accredited Employer Status has proven to be invaluable both in acquiring international talent and retaining legal compliance.  

Just prior to emigrating to New Zealand, Simran was recognised by Legal 500 as a “Recommended Lawyer” in the 2019-2020 edition.

Simran also is an Immigration Law content writer and examination assessor for the Law Society of England And Wales.

When not immersed in work she loves travelling, experiencing places and food!

DR. ALYSIA BROOKS

Dr. Alysia Brooks has worked for almost twenty years in the area of human rights advocacy, including the promotion and protection of due process rights, fair trials and humane conditions of detention in increased security environments. Her areas of expertise include highly politicised human rights cases and strategic litigation.

Alysia has a Masters of Human Rights and is embarking on her third doctorate at the University of Sydney. Her areas of research include torture (aetiology, accountability and torture prevention), human rights abuses that have occurred as a result of the War on Terror, US foreign and national security policy and international human rights and humanitarian law.

Alysia is the first Australian to sue the CIA, FBI, US State Department and Department of Defense. She successfully sought documents in relation to the US torture program by undertaking legal action both in the US and Australia.

Alysia works to ensure the rights of prisoners detained abroad, including those subjected to torture and ill-treatment in places of detention such as Guantanamo Bay.

Alysia works as a consultant to the UN, speaks at international justice conferences, and is a casual lecturer at several Australian universities. 

GÉRALDINE GIRAUDEAU – PROFESSOR OF INTERNATIONAL LAW

Géraldine Giraudeau is a Professor of public law specialized in public international law, territorial issues, law of the sea, and asylum (Ph.D from Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne and Carlos III, Madrid).

Géraldine served as an assessor judge appointed by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to the French National Court of Asylum from 2012 to 2016.

In 2014, she passed the French opposition for public law full Professor recruitment (“agrégation"). Géraldine was then recruited by the University of Perpignan (UPVD France) before leaving on a delegation for two years at the University of New Caledonia, where she focused her research on legal issues in the Pacific (territorial challenges, compared constitutional frameworks, climate migrations…), and on the decolonization process of New Caledonia.

Géraldine is the author of numerous publications in international law. She works in English, Spanish and French, and studied standard Arabic.

QAZI ARSALAN AKHTAR – BARRISTER, HYDERABAD - PAKISTAN

Qazi Arsalan Akhtar is a hardworking advocate from Pakistan whose family has deep roots in the law. 

With his father and grandfather both practising lawyers, and many relatives are members of the Pakistani judiciary, Qazi’s family have been advocating for defendants’ rights in Hyderabad and adjoining districts for at least 80 years.  

Qazi’s early education was from the Beacon House school system and he later did ‘O’ and ‘A’ levels through the University of Cambridge. He has an LLB (hons) from the University of Sindh and later achieved a Masters degree in the field of criminal law from Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali University of Law (SZABUL) in Karachi. 

Qazi has successfully defended clients charged with the death penalty in Pakistan, with a particular focus on serious drug offences, human rights cases and white-collar crime.  

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” - MLK. 

Drawing inspiration from the words of the late Martin Luther King Jr., Qazi’s focus and ability to stand firm against injustice and work relentlessly in the face of discrimination make him a valued member of LawAid International’s global network of advocates.