Professor Catherine Iorns

Associate Barrister

Catherine was called to the bar in 1989 and is now a Professor of Law at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. She topped her LLB (Hons) class and received her Master of Laws from Yale Law School on full scholarship. She has more than 25 years' experience on environmental law, international law, indigenous rights, and statutory interpretation. She teaches University courses on the Resource Management Act, the Exclusive Economic Zone Act, climate change law, and the legislation regulating hazardous substances, among others.

Catherine has received several awards for her environmental law research and teaching, including three from the NZ Resource Management Law Association and a Victoria University of Wellington prize for research excellence across the whole university. Her publications on statutory interpretation and on environmental law have been cited by other barristers and by decision-makers, including before and by the Supreme Court. She has given more than 200 presentations and is regularly used as a keynote conference speaker. She is certified as a Resource Management Commissioner. 

​

Catherine's recent transition from academia to practice has seen her involved in large, complex cases, both as counsel and as an external consultant.

​

Catherine is employed by Stephen, and available to accept instructions on environmental law matters. She considers select civil litigation briefs.