Our Team

Melanie Baker

Melanie Baker LLB

Principal, Lawyer & Mediator

[email protected]
Melanie Baker has been practising law in Lower Hutt since 1988. She practices in the areas of Family, Criminal, and Property Law. She is a senior Lawyer for Child, a Youth Advocate, accredited specialist family mediator, and accepts appointments as Lawyer to Assist. During her time in practice, she has conducted many hundreds of hearings in Courts at all levels, including jury trials. She is a passionate solution focused advocate who strives to obtain excellent outcomes for clients.

​Melanie was an elected member of the Council of the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Law Society for 7 years and was a member of the Standards (Complaints) Committee for 9 years. In addition, Melanie is a member of a Legal Aid Selection Committee, a former board member of the Wellington Community Law Centre, and is a Legal Aid auditor contracted to the Ministry of Justice. She was a Board of Trustees member and chairperson at Petone Central School and a Director of Atiawa Toa FM, the local iwi Radio Station. She has been recently appointed to the Board of KidsCan.​

​Melanie has attended overseas conferences to ensure her practice is currently up to international standard. She co-presented a workshop at the 2017 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Conference in Boston. She presented a paper at the Youth Advocates Conference in Auckland in August 2018.

​Melanie is an accredited specialist family mediator and is a Family Disputes Resolution provider contracted to Fairway Resolution Limited. She represented various crown agencies in the Royal Commission hearing into abuse in care.

​Melanie is a parent and enjoys watching her son play Rugby, keeping active and spending time with friends. She enjoys working with people of all cultures and backgrounds. She is Te Atiawa, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama iwi on her father’s side and has Irish background on her mother’s side. Recently she has been appointed chair person of the Risk and Audit Committee for Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui whānui based at Waiwhetū Marae.

Melanie Baker

Melanie Baker LLB

Principal, Lawyer & Mediator

[email protected]

Melanie Baker has been practising law in Lower Hutt since 1988. She practices in the areas of Family, Criminal, and Property Law. She is a senior Lawyer for Child, a Youth Advocate, accredited specialist family mediator, and accepts appointments as Lawyer to Assist. During her time in practice, she has conducted many hundreds of hearings in Courts at all levels, including jury trials. She is a passionate solution focused advocate who strives to obtain excellent outcomes for clients.

​Melanie was an elected member of the Council of the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Law Society for 7 years and was a member of the Standards (Complaints) Committee for 9 years. In addition, Melanie is a member of a Legal Aid Selection Committee, a former board member of the Wellington Community Law Centre, and is a Legal Aid auditor contracted to the Ministry of Justice. She is a Board of Trustees member and chairperson at Petone Central School and a Director of Atiawa Toa FM, the local iwi Radio Station. She has been recently appointed to the Board of KidsCan.​

​Melanie has attended overseas conferences to ensure her practice is currently up to international standard. She co-presented a workshop at the 2017 Association of Family and Conciliation Courts Conference in Boston. She presented a paper at the Youth Advocates Conference in Auckland in August 2018.

​Melanie is an accredited specialist family mediator and is a Family Disputes Resolution provider contracted to Fairway Resolution Limited. She represented various crown agencies in the Royal Commission hearing into abuse in care.

​Melanie is a parent and enjoys watching her son play Rugby, keeping active and spending time with friends. She enjoys working with people of all cultures and backgrounds. She is Te Atiawa, Ngāti Mutunga and Ngāti Tama iwi on her father’s side and has Irish background on her mother’s side. Recently she has been appointed chair person of the Risk and Audit Committee for Te Rūnanganui o Te Āti Awa ki Te Upoko o te Ika a Māui whānui based at Waiwhetū Marae.

Sean Clarke LLB BA 

Associate 

Sean Clarke

Sean has been working at Melanie Baker Law since April 2017. Prior to this he was working for a legal publishing company. He attended Wellington College and Victoria University of Wellington. Sean practises in the area of Criminal and Family Law. He has developed a wide range of experience including as Counsel conducting Jury Trials and other types of hearings and achieving excellent results for clients.

Sean is a keen football player and plays at a senior level for a Wellington Club.

Mitchell Evans LLB BA

Lawyer

Mitchell Evans

Mitchell joined the firm in January 2024 as a law clerk, after graduating from the University of Otago. He has previously been involved in volunteering for Community Law Otago and Citizens Advice Bureau Dunedin. He practises in the areas of criminal law, family law, and property law.

Outside of work, Mitchell enjoys training Brazilian jiu-jitsu and playing golf.

Casey Tearle LLB

Lawyer

Casey Tearle

Casey joined the firm in September 2024, after being admitted to the bar in August 2024. Casey graduated from the University of Waikato, where she is from originally. She has previously worked in family law in Hamilton as well as Waitangi Tribunal work in Wellington. She practises in the areas of family law and criminal law.

Outside of work, Casey is an avid dancer and trains and teaches aerial arts.

 

Marie-Belle Marcha

Law Clerk

Marie-Belle Marcha

Marie-Belle joined the firm in July 2024. She is a third-year law student and has completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree. She assists with administrative matters and supports lawyers with research, drafting, and file preparation.

Outside of work and studies, Marie-Belle loves learning new languages and exploring different cultures.

Damon Baker-Fiddes

Legal Assistant

Damon Baker-Fiddes

Damon joined the firm in March 2016. He provides support to the practice in terms of general administration, billing, file management and archiving. Damon has a Diploma in Information Technology Technical Support.

In his spare time, Damon is a keen cricketer, he enjoys socialising with his mates, travelling, and playing golf.