During her call to the Inner Bar (King’s Counsel ceremony) at the Auckland High Court, before taking office, Chief Justice Helen Winkelmann observed that the position carried “quite literally, awesome responsibilities”. Three months in, Anna is beginning to appreciate the full scope of the job.

“It’s a very big role,” she says. “There is a huge amount of accountability for how the Government legal system is run and how it performs.”

The former Meredith Connell partner and Yale Law School Master of Laws graduate says what comes across her desk these days eclipses anything she encountered in private practice.

“The type of legal issues that I end up dealing with in a week are the things that ordinarily would have been the highlight of a year,” she says.

Despite the pace change, Anna says the fundamentals of legal practice remain the same.

“You focus on the main issues, you look after your client’s interests and you strive to deliver excellence,” she says.

“What is different is the complexity and scale of the legal issues the Government faces. Government has to be very attentive to the risks and consequences of its legal choices because, fundamentally, our client is the public.”

Anna describes herself as a traditional “black letter” lawyer, guided by principles of liberty, equality and solidarity.

“The law should deliver certainty, predictability and the equal application of principles to like cases.

“People organise their lives according to what they understand the law to be. We shouldn’t interfere with that without proper process. If there is to be change, there are established ways to achieve it, often through legislation.”

Her interest in constitutional law stretches back to the very beginning of her legal career. She started law school in 1990, the same year the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act was passed.

As a graduate, she clerked at the Court of Appeal under President Sir Robin Cooke and later Sir Ivor Richardson. The Court was issuing some of its first significant Bill of Rights decisions.

“It was a wonderful experience,” she says. “I wrote my honours dissertation on the constitutional discourse that emerged in the Court of Appeal’s first five years with the Bill of Rights, and it was later published in the New Zealand Law Review.”

Having argued more than 100 cases, represented victims of the Whakaari eruption and assisted the coroner following the New Lynn terrorist attack, Anna is acutely aware that legal proceedings are often among the most significant events in a person’s life.

“The individual perspective in the justice system really matters,” she says. “Whether it is employment, criminal or family law, for many New Zealanders it is the only time they experience the justice system.

“When people come into contact with the law, it can be an intense and sometimes traumatic experience. We should never lose sight of that.”

As both Solicitor-General and chief executive of Crown Law she hopes to foster a culture that combines professional excellence with intellectual openness.

“There is a real commitment to open debate, discussion and diversity of thought,” she says. “I want to discourage any sort of mandatory thinking or expression.”

She acknowledges there are challenges ahead, particularly when it comes to infrastructure and technology in the justice system.

“We’re hearing concerns about court capacity, digital systems, lawyer resilience and shortages in some specialised areas of practice.”

Despite those challenges, she remains optimistic. Various projects are being developed including the Court digitisation initiative Te Au Reka and Crown Law itself is looking to its future legal practice and technology base.

“We have a wonderful reservoir of talent in Crown Law – brilliant hard-working public-spirited lawyers and support people.”

Success within her five-year tenure will mean continuing to deliver Crown Law’s core functions exceptionally well, and supporting the Government to advance its policies lawfully.

“Being the Solicitor General is a privilege. You have to stay open to different ideas, experiences and perspectives from across the profession if you want to make the best decisions. And while it’s a demanding workload, it’s also extremely rewarding.”