Tyrone‑Jay responds to complex legal challenges with clear solutions. With broad legal experience, he specialises in matters where different areas of the law intersect.
After seven years as an in-house government lawyer, he founded Barugh Law in 2022 and now helps individuals, businesses, councils and NGOs.
The NZ Herald dubbed him a legal “bug-hunter” for spotting angles others miss. He’s equally at home with everyday matters and obscure points of law, and clients value his knack for turning complexity into clear, actionable advice.
Civil litigation and dispute resolution
Prefer peace to court? So does Tyrone-Jay. He aims to settle early but can steer you confidently through court and tribunal hearings when necessary.
Tyrone-Jay's dispute resolution experience includes:
- proceedings by subcontractors who had not been paid by a lead contractor;
- recovery of money obtained by fraud;
- statutory demands against debtor companies;
- enforcement proceedings in the District Court;
- non‑delivery under an IT services agreement;
- nuisance and trespass to land;
- complex claims under the Residential Tenancies Act.
Tyrone-Jay is also available to serve as a neutral mediator or be jointly instructed by both sides to deliver an independent legal opinion to further settlement discussions.
Public law and regulatory compliance
Tyrone‑Jay is an former government solicitor so he knows how agencies make decisions. Since leaving government he's continued to practise in public law. Tyrone-Jay's broad public law experience includes:
- an application for judicial review in an offshore jurisdiction;
- New Zealand regulatory advice for an international life‑sciences company;
- regulatory risk analysis for a novel construction product proposed to be sold in New Zealand;
- advice to a local authority on developing internal policy;
- advising (as an in‑house counsel) on a $100 m+ government IT project and on establishing a trans‑Tasman satellite‑based augmentation network to improve GPS accuracy;
- pro bono advice to a policy advocacy charity.
General legal advice
As an access‑to‑justice initiative, Barugh Law offers a fixed‑fee consultation. Think about this consultation like seeing your GP. If your legal problem is common and straightforward, we'll probably be able to give you some actionable advice right away. If your legal problem is really gnarly or risky then we can help you work out how to get the answers you need. And if you’ve got legal needs that traverse lots of different areas of law we can help you spot common threads and tie everything together.
Commercial and start‑up law
Tyrone‑Jay is well placed to advise new and early‑stage businesses on a wide range of legal matters. He has particular experience advising technology businesses, having drafted and negotiated multimillion‑dollar IT services agreements.
Employment law
Tyrone‑Jay regularly acts for employers and employees. He has represented clients in mediation and the Employment Relations Authority.
Employment experience includes:
- advising start‑up founders on their transition from employee to company founder, including intellectual property ownership;
- challenging restraints of trade and non‑solicitation clauses;
- personal grievances for unjust dismissal;
- redundancy and redeployment issues.
Privacy law
Tyrone‑Jay has significant experience developing organisational privacy policies, carrying out privacy impact assessments and responding to privacy breaches. He regularly advises New Zealand businesses on domestic privacy law and on the European Union's GDPR. Where clients do not have the internal capacity to act as a Privacy Officer, Tyrone‑Jay accepts instructions to fulfil this role.
Public interest law, charity law and philanthropic consulting
Tyrone‑Jay has an interest in supporting those who wish to use their careers and resources to altruistic effect. He led the legal planning for a multimillion‑dollar philanthropic gift and has advised on the establishment of multiple charities in areas as diverse as animal welfare, drug harm reduction, AI safety and public‑access media.
He is actively involved with the Effective Altruism movement – a research field and practical community that aims to find the best ways to help others, and put them into practice – and regularly provides legal advice to its members.
Pacific Islands and British Overseas Territories law
In addition to his practice in New Zealand, Tyrone‑Jay is able to take instructions in Niue, Pitcairn, the British Indian Ocean Territory, the British Antarctic Territory and the Astana International Financial Centre Courts. He is also available to assist lawyers in other offshore jurisdictions on a consultancy basis.
Often the law and rules of procedure that apply in an offshore matter are not particularly clear. Tyrone‑Jay is comfortable navigating uncertainty and can help clients make informed decisions even in jurisdictions where access to legal information is limited.
He has advised on commercial, employment, public‑law and immigration matters in offshore jurisdictions, represented clients in negotiations with local authorities and was sole counsel on an application for judicial review in an offshore jurisdiction.