JOHN MUNRO

Barrister
Email: [email protected]

An accomplished criminal lawyer based in Auckland, John is highly skilled and experienced in criminal cases of many kinds. His career has spanned two decades and included work in both New Zealand and the United Kingdom: as a criminal defense and civil lawyer in New Plymouth, as a crown prosecutor in Rotorua, and a significant period  honing his skills as a solicitor in one of London’s most highly-regarded criminal defense firms. Upon return to New Zealand, John established Sentinel Chambers in Victoria Street. This is now a leading criminal defense chambers, home to a highly qualified group of Auckland barristers.

John’s experience as a criminal defense lawyer covers a very wide array of cases in varied areas of law including sexual cases, drugs cases, violence cases, and more—you can find out more about this by looking at his expertise. Whatever the case may be, he takes a meticulous, measured, and pragmatic approach that’s geared at achieving the best outcome for a client.

On a personal level, John’s heritage includes Scottish, Croatian, and Māori (Ngāpuhi and Ngātiwai) ancestry. He enjoys swimming; before devoting most of his time to criminal law he reached a top 20 international ranking in the 400 individual medley event, representing New Zealand. Through swimming, he attended university in the United States on a full scholarship. Reaching a high level in any sport requires dedication, perseverance, and plain hard work—all attributes that John has carried into his legal career.

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NATHAN GIBSON

Barrister in the employment of John Munro
Email: [email protected]

Nathan is a barrister working with John Munro. He regularly appears in the District and High Court’s across the country. He has also appeared in the Court of Appeal.
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Before joining John’s practice, Nathan worked at a highly regarded solicitors' firm in London, where he represented clients under investigation by the police and prepared Crown Court trials across a wide range of serious offences, including murder, manslaughter, human trafficking, computer hacking, fraud, money laundering, historic sexual abuse, and drug conspiracies.

Nathan has experience representing professionals facing criminal allegations, including athletes, members of the armed forces, businesspeople, doctors, surgeons, teachers, and university lecturers.

Nathan’s meticulous case preparation and attention to detail often uncovers disclosure that is case breaking. He is adept in cases that involve digital forensic evidence such as device extraction and cell cite analysis. 

Nathan has a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Auckland and has also studied law at King’s College London and Cardiff University.
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AMY BORTON

Law Clerk
Email: [email protected]

​Before joining John’s practice Amy worked for the Family Court. 
Amy assists in the management and preparation of all stages of proceeding including criminal trials, appeals, and sentencing. She has a solid understanding of all areas of criminal law and has excellent legal research and writing skills. 
She is empathetic and personable, able to put the clients at ease and gain their trust quickly.

Amy is completing a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (with a major in criminology) at the University of Auckland where she has received multiple awards for coming first in course.  

Amy is soon to be admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court.