Christina is a criminal lawyer and Fulbright Scholar who is currently a managing lawyer at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA) in Alice Springs.

At MLC School, Christina was Co-Captain of Lester House, was involved in Round Square, achieved a Gold Award in the Duke of Edinburgh, was a member of the winning Senior A ISDA debating team, and was Runner-up to Dux of IB Diploma (aeq.) at the 2009 Speech Night.

She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) at the University of Sydney, where she was actively involved in student life and served as an editor of Honi Soit. During her studies, she volunteered with community legal organisations including the Australian Centre for Disability Law and the Redfern Legal Centre. She also undertook an internship at the Capital Post-Conviction Project of Louisiana in New Orleans, where she worked on petitions for clients on death row. After working with inspiring lawyers who protect the rights of people facing execution, she pursued a career focused on challenging systemic injustices within the legal system.

Returning to Australia, Christina was a Tipstaff* at the Supreme Court of New South Wales, where she assisted judges working on trials and appeals. She then worked as a Senior Solicitor at the Crown Solicitor’s Office before moving to the Northern Territory. She worked as a criminal defence lawyer at Legal Aid in Darwin and travelled to circuit courts to represent clients in remote communities across the Top End. This role involved her representing members of the most vulnerable populations in Australia, both adults and children, in remote circuit courts. She developed particular expertise representing people with complex mental health issues, who often slip through the gaps of support services and face acute levels of disadvantage.  

In 2023, Christina was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to complete a Master of Laws at Harvard Law School where she examined the criminalisation of mental health issues, solutions to mass incarceration, and questions of prosecutorial power. She was then appointed Co-Director of the Systemic Justice Project at Harvard Law School, collaborating with students, practitioners, and organisers on a range of initiatives regarding systemic justice questions in legal education.   

Now based in Alice Springs, Christina is a Deputy Managing Lawyer (Criminal Law) at NAAJA, the primary provider of legal aid services for Aboriginal people in the Northern Territory. She is a persuasive courtroom advocate and strong supporter of holistic, client-centred services for people involved with the justice system.

Christina’s career is a testament to the power of education and her deep commitment to fairness. Her story inspires us to think critically about the systems in place and how they can be transformed for the better. Christina’s impact as a lawyer and leader is a powerful reminder for the next generation of young people, particularly young women, of how we can work with community organisations to achieve a profound, positive and lasting impact on the world.

* Tipstaff is a member of a judge’s personal chambers staff, typically appointed for one year to provide intensive legal research, draft judgments, and manage in-court duties. They act as a specialised personal assistant, facilitating smooth courtroom proceedings and handling complex legal analysis for Judges in Equity, Common Law, and the Court of Appeal.