Associate - Auckland
Helen Brown
Expertise
About
Prior to joining MC, Helen worked as Legal Counsel at the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, the Netherlands, where she worked on international arbitration proceedings and advised the Secretary-General of the PCA on the discharge of his duties under the Arbitration Rules of the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). Helen also worked in the Appeals Chamber and Office of the President at the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in The Hague.
Before her time in The Hague, Helen completed her LLM at New York University and at the same time worked pro bono for the US-based non-profit organisation Her Justice, providing support for victims of domestic violence in divorce and immigration proceedings in New York. At the start of her legal career, Helen worked as a junior barrister for two senior criminal defence barristers in Auckland.
Recent Cases & Achievements
Operation Maddale: Successfully prosecuted members of a significant methamphetamine supply operation, which used vehicles with hidden compartments to transport methamphetamine between Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
R v H: Jury trial involving a charge of rape in the context of offending by an adult man against a young person that he had contacted on social media. Guilty verdicts followed seven days of trial proceedings. Subsequently successfully prosecuted a judge-alone trial against the same defendant involving objectionable materials charges.
R v H: Jury trial involving charges of strangulation and breach of protection order in the family violence context, with a guilty verdict following four days of trial proceedings.
R v L: Jury trial involving charges of indecent acts on children, where the defendant was the step-grandfather of the victims (aged 7 and 8). Guilty verdicts followed three days of jury trial proceedings.
Credentials
LLM (majoring in International Legal Studies), New York University
BA/LLB(Hons), University of Auckland