Dr Scott Sheeran

Expertise

• Government Administration

• Human Rights

• International Law

• Independent Inquiries and Reviews

• Public and Administrative Law

Kia ora

I can provide legal advice and assistance on a wide range of issues, using my significant experience as a barrister and lawyer, and a diplomat, academic, management consultant, military officer, and human rights defender. My approach to helping clients is to understand their vision, and to build a strategy for their needs. I know how to problem solve and implement solutions that generate support from others, whether the issue concerns public, administrative, international or human rights law.

I care a great deal about effective governance, the rule of law, and human rights, in New Zealand and globally. I have held significant roles in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry of Defence, New Zealand Defence Force, and with Chen & Palmer Public Law Specialists. My work has included providing advice and counsel to governments and Parliament, including the Prime Minister, Ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs, chief executives, and the Leader of the Opposition. I have been involved in Cabinet papers and decisions, Parliamentary Questions, Official Information Act (OIA) requests, Select Committee, and Government media releases.

I have been legal counsel before international courts and tribunals, including the International Court of Justice, disputes panels of the World Trade Organisation, and under the Permanent Court of Arbitration. My further experience includes supervising and managing legal proceedings in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and France, and acting as NZDF legal counsel in the Operation Burnham Inquiry in New Zealand. I have also held leadership roles within the United Nations, for example, as the Vice Chair of the UN Legal (Sixth) Committee of the General Assembly.

I am an international law and human rights expert and published author. My human rights work has been with victims of abuse in Iran and Sri Lanka, on advisory panels of international human rights NGOs, and as legal adviser to a UN Special Rapporteur. I have lived and worked alongside many faiths and cultures, residing in the Middle East, Europe, and North America, and carried out work in the South Pacific, Asia, and Africa. This has taken me from the Peace Palace in The Hague and UN Security Council chamber in New York, to an active war zone in Libya and mediating a major African inter-state water dispute.

My detailed background, in terms of current and prior work experience and my cases, is available on my LinkedIn profile (see above). If you wish to discuss a matter, including potentially pro bono advice, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Ngā mihi

Dr Scott Sheeran

Contact Dr Scott Sheeran