Christopher Griggs
BARRISTER
QUALIFICATIONS
LLB Victoria University of Wellington
MA (1st Class Honours)
Massey University
LLM (1st Class Honours) University of Cambridge
Admitted 1994 New Zealand
Admitted 2016 List of Counsel International Criminal Court Admitted 2023 Victoria, Australia
CONTACT
P +64 4 914 1053
M+64 21 187 4595
E send email
LinkedIn view profile
Christopher Griggs
Expertise
Aviation Law
Civil Litigation
Criminal Law
Employment Law
International Law
Maritime Law
Military Law
Public and Administrative Law
Te Tiriti o Waitangi
“Commander Griggs… argued this appeal very ably for the Director and… was of considerable assistance to us in coming to grips with the special jurisdiction of this Court”
Christopher Griggs has a very broad range of expertise encompassing fields including criminal law (domestic and international), aviation, maritime, military and international law. However, his primary area of focus is civil and commercial litigation. He has been instructed by lawyers throughout New Zealand, as well as in Australia, the United States, Europe and East Asia, to advise and act for clients on a range of matters touching on issues as diverse as public and employment law, indigenous peoples’ rights, defamation, product liability, economic torts, breach of trust, breach of contract and so on.
Christopher speaks French and German to a professional level, as well as some Italian and intermediate te reo Māori. He is on the legal panels of the Embassies of Germany and Italy and has been instructed on a number of occasions in matters where client contact in a foreign language was required. He is a past President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in New Zealand and a current board member of the German-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce.
Christopher has an international reputation as an expert in military law and is a director of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War based in Brussels. From 2016 to 2017, he acted pro bono as a peer reviewer of the commentary to the Second Geneva Convention published by the International Committee of the Red Cross. From 2014 to 2015, he held appointment as a State Prosecutor pro tem in the Republic of Vanuatu for the purpose of prosecuting a senior government official. He was a member of the New Zealand Law Society’s Rule of Law committee from 2019 - 2023 and was President of its Wellington Branch from 2021 - 2023. In keeping with the breadth of his interests, Christopher has published articles and presented at conferences on a broad range of topics both in New Zealand and overseas.
““… you’ve been such a supportive and frank advisor, we have really appreciated everything you have done for us. And of course we will refer you to anyone unfortunate enough to find themselves in a situation where your excellent legal advice can be of service.””