Wellington lawyer Susan Barker has been awarded the Law Foundation's 2019 International Research Fellowship Te Karahipi Rangahau ā Taiao.

The Fellowship is New Zealand’s largest annual legal research award, providing recipients up to $125,000 for research that will make a significant contribution to our law.

The Foundation says Susan’s passion and drive to reform charities law has earned her the country’s leading legal research award.

"She believes New Zealand’s charities law needs a shakeup and will undertake a first-principles review to determine what a world-leading framework for charity law should look like. Her research will take her to Australia, Ireland, the UK, Canada and the USA as she investigates best practice internationally."

First awarded in 2002, this year’s award will be the final award before the Foundation goes into recess in 2020.

Ms Barker was presented with her award by Foundation Chair Dr Andrew Butler in November.