About Us
How it began
I began my journey in small States and territories nearly 30 years ago, on an epic drive across the Highlands Highway of Papua New Guinea with my friends Robin and Betty, and their family. We visited their villages in the Southern Highlands, narrowly escaping being robbed and giving me my first taste of travelling and living in Melanesia and the Pacific Islands.
Unrelenting curiosity
I quit my job as a solicitor with the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in New Zealand to spend 3 months in the Highlands because of an unrelenting curiosity for people and nature. I wanted to experience how indigenous people live and see whether they still lived the lives of their ancestors amongst the beauty and glory of the Highlands.
The old way
I lived the dream .... before I slipped on a muddy track left abandoned by the timber company that had stripped the nearby forest bare. I got to hunt with a traditional bow and arrows just as their ancestors once did.
Governments, governance and people
Nursing a broken leg and living in a village, sharing stories with their wantoks, and making new friends in Port Moresby opened my eyes to their day to day problems. At village level disputes are resolved, but modern day governments and governance seldom meet people's expectations and needs.
The pivot
Two years later, I was drafting laws in the Crown Law Office in the Cook Islands. An idyllic little paradise in the Pacific, with a full range of challenges to tackle: anti-money laundering, public health, the environment, no-confidence motions, copyright, and so on. A wonderful experience both on a personal and professional level.
New journey
My new journey as a drafter, lawyer, trainer and consultant took me to Australia, Guyana, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan and Guernsey.
Back to the Pacific
Then finally back to the Pacific, where it all began. Drafting the Early Childhood Care and Education Act in Kiribati, training drafters from across the Pacific Islands in New Caledonia, and drafting laws for Palau, Western Samoa, the Marshall Islands and
Papua New Guinea.
From climate change to fire services.
From coastal fisheries and the environment to cybercrime and land access.
From inception, through to consultation and then to completion.
Solon Law is born
I am inspired by the conviction that law should benefit society, and policy and legislation crafted to secure and safeguard future generations. The economy, business and profit should always be tempered with good governance and sustainability. Solving our problems today should meet our needs tomorrow and thereafter.
Our future as a society and global community rests on laws, institutions and practices that promote good governance, prevent corruption and abuse, and regulate effectively and appropriately.
Sharing knowledge and mentoring
Training and sharing knowledge is an important part of the Solon Law ethos. Apart from providing training on legislative drafting and legislative policy, I regularly speak at conferences and events. For example, I delivered two presentations at the Commonwealth Association of Legislative Counsel (CALC) Regional Conference in Perth, Australia (2025): Crafting by Prompt: Using AI to review Instructions and Legislation and Plumber or Architect? and Training Drafters for the 21st Century.
Return to Papua New Guinea
In July 2026, I returned to Papua New Guinea. This time to deliver training in Drafting Subordinate Legislation to the National Information Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) and the Office of Legislative Counsel. The wheel has turned a full circle, bringing me back to PNG where it all began!
[Pictured here with Mr Zebedee Kamaso, the Chief Legal Officer of NICTA and Mrs Marleen Akop, the First Legislative Counsel.]
First-of-its-kind training
This was the first time a statutory body had partnered with the Office of Legislative Counsel in Papua New Guinea to deliver training on legislative processes and legislative drafting. https://www.facebook.com/nictapng/posts/strengthening-legislative-drafting-capacity-to-support-nictas-future-regulatory-/1336941371909271/
The training session was the first of 5 days of workshops I conducted in Papua New Guinea, which included on the drafting of Cybercrime Amendments, the Interception Capability and Network Security Rules and Land Access Requirements and Procedures. https://www.facebook.com/nictapng/posts/nicta-concludes-week-long-legislative-drafting-workshopthe-national-information-/1341860478084027/
What we offer
Solon Law is available for legislative drafting, policy and training projects. Creative, cross-disciplinary and visionary in our approach, we benchmark against international standards and best practice and use best available technology to produce effective and sustainable solutions for international organisations and national governments. Reach out and we would be happy to discuss how we can tailor our services to your needs.