Lawyer admits assaulting woman, files urgent bid to bar Herald from identifying him
An Auckland lawyer who admitted assaulting his former girlfriend has hired one of the country’s top legal defenders and filed an urgent application to block the Herald from revealing his name.
The lawyer was a Public Defence Service employee at an Auckland court when the offending occurred.
During a hearing at the Wellington District Court last week, the man pleaded guilty to assaulting a person in a family relationship, and did not seek name suppression.
The court also confirmed that the man was advancing an application to be discharged without conviction, to be heard later this year.
After the Herald approached the defendant for comment on Friday, leading defence lawyer Ron Mansfield KC, with barrister William Mohammed, filed an “urgent” notice of application for interim name suppression on extreme hardship grounds.
Wellington District Court referred the application to a judge, who granted interim suppression until a hearing could be held.
No profession was listed under occupation on the man’s charge sheet.
However, the Law Society register noted he is employed as a criminal and civil lawyer at a private law firm in another city.
He holds a current practising certificate issued on July 1, active for a year.
A police spokesperson said the agency first received a report about the offending in May 2025, however, an official complaint was not submitted until December 2025.
Police investigated, and he was charged this month.
The Herald has asked police why the charge was filed in Wellington, instead of where the assault occurred, or the city the lawyer now lives in.
A response was not available by deadline.
If convicted, he could face up to two years’ imprisonment.
A Law Society spokesperson said the organisation was legally barred from commenting on whether it had received a complaint about the lawyer.
However, they said the Law Society took concerns regarding criminal offending by lawyers seriously.
“Personal conduct by a lawyer may be considered under the complaints and disciplinary framework in the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act 2006 in certain circumstances.
“However, a lawyer who holds a current practising certificate and admits to, or is found guilty of, criminal offending is not automatically suspended from practice.”
The spokesperson said concerns or complaints must first be considered by an independent Standards Committee, which may refer matters to the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal if the conduct was sufficiently serious.
“Only the Disciplinary Tribunal can make an order that a lawyer be suspended from practice, including for an interim period while any disciplinary process is underway, or strike a lawyer off the roll of barristers and solicitors following referral from a Standards Committee.”
Katie Harris is an Auckland-based journalist who covers issues such as sexual assault, workplace misconduct, media, crime and justice. She joined the Herald in 2020.
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