Christchurch barrister Craig Ruane is the new President of the New Zealand Law Society's Canterbury-Westland branch.

Craig Ruane

Mr Ruane is a long-serving member of what was the Canterbury District Law Society Council and then became the Canterbury-Westland branch Council.

He first joined the Council in the early 1990s, when the entity was a district law society, then – after a short break – rejoined in the early 2000s.

His Law Society service also includes being a long-serving faculty member of NZLS CLE Ltd's Litigation Skills Programme, where he has also served as Programme Director.

Before going to the bar in 2007, Mr Ruane was a senior prosecutor with Crown Solicitor Raymond Donnelly. He was a prosecutor for nine years, including time in East Timor prosecuting war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Before that, he was a partner of Weston Ward and Lascelles in Christchurch. In fact, Mr Ruane has practised in Christchurch since graduating from Canterbury University in 1978.

Mr Ruane's current practice is a mix of civil and criminal litigation. One interesting aspect is his involvement in military law. He has regularly appeared in Courts Martial of Army, Navy and Air Force personnel.

He is also a Colonel in the Territorial Force.

A project which is currently occupying what little spare time Mr Ruane has is managing an earthquake rebuild and repair of his home. Having been involved in that, "I now have considerable sympathy for clients who are in the same position," he says.

He is also keen on reading, walking, tramping and pistol shooting.