Christopher Stevenson KC is a senior criminal defence barrister with more than 25 years of experience.

He has been defence counsel in many significant trials, including the "Urewera Four” trial, multiple major homicide trials (achieving a number of unlikely acquittals), and is currently acting in cases involving "Mr Big" stings and the historic 1987 Red Fox Tavern robbery and murder.

In recent years, Christopher has developed a reputation for exposing some of New Zealand’s worst miscarriages of justice. He has successfully challenged numerous murder convictions, including Te Wini, Smith, Lyttle, and Fawcett in the Court of Appeal, and Ahsin in the Supreme Court. This year he appears in the Supreme Court in two further high-profile homicide appeals.

Christopher has acted in many landmark cases which have helped shape the criminal law in New Zealand. He has also appeared in the Privy Council, Coroners Court, professional disciplinary tribunals, and conducted complex and trans-national civil litigation. 

Christopher represents defence counsel on a range of committees and working groups and co-founded Te Matakahi | New Zealand Defence Lawyers Association. The organisation now has a major membership across the country, hosts an annual conference, offers training opportunities for criminal defence practitioners, and regularly acts as an intervenor in significant criminal law cases.

Christopher graduated from Otago University with a Bachelor Laws and Bachelor Arts (English) in 1996. He is also a former refugee support worker, a long time international member of the American Defence Lawyers Association, and has presented educative seminars on topics such as: propensity evidence, cross-examination, conducting appeals, and representing clients with cognitive impairments.