Our Team
Melanie Baker LLB
Principal, Lawyer & Mediator
[email protected]
Melanie has been practising law in Lower Hutt for over 30 years. 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 LLB
Principal, Lawyer & Mediator
Melanie has been practising law in Lower Hutt for over 30 years. 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 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.
Bridie Henderson
LLB BA
Lawyer
Bridie joined Melanie Baker Law in October 2025. Bridie graduated from Victoria University of Wellington and was admitted to the bar in 2004. She practised in Family Law and Criminal Law in Tauranga before travelling to the United Kingdom and working in Child Protection for two years. She then worked exclusively in Family Law in both Private Practice and for a Community Law Centre that specialised in Domestic Violence in Brisbane, Australia. Bridie returned to practice in New Zealand work for the Public Defence Service in Wellington before joining Cuba Family Law in April 2019. Bridie has extensive Court room experience and will work with you to achieve pragmatic outcomes focussed on your needs.
Casey Tearle
LLB
Lawyer
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.
Zaiden-Lee Henri
LLB BSCI
Lawyer
Zaiden joined the firm in May 2025 as a Law Clerk after graduating from Victoria University of Wellington with a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Zaiden was admitted to the bar as a Barrister and Solicitor in September 2025.
During his personal time, Zaiden is an avid sports fan, he enjoys spending time friends and family, and exploring nature.
Marie-Belle Marcha
Law Clerk
Marie-Belle joined the firm in July 2024. She is a final year law student and has completed a Bachelor of Commerce. Marie-Belle is part of the executive team at the Wellington Students’ Criminal Bar Association and has been a university tutor. 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 Administrator
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.
Liz Nikora
Practice Manager
Liz joined the firm in May 2025 and is a member of our reliable and efficient support team. She started working for Margaret Powell & Wendy Davis in 2000 and when the firm became Cuba Family Law in 2007 with the addition of Liz Lewes who joined the practice, she continued in that role until April 2025. She grew up in Tolaga Bay/Gisborne with Whakapapa to Anaura Bay.