I read with interest Samira Taghavi online about the recent Supreme Court decision exonerating Alan Hall. She concludes that criminal defence lawyers are vilified, yet vital to the administration of justice.

Having just finished a high-profile trial, I came across this online: "I was on a jury for a sexual assault trial and Ms Priest was one of the defence lawyers. I understand the job of a defence lawyer and agree everyone deserves a fair defence. She, however, is an utter piece of s***."

This is not the first vicious comment I've received. It's borne of ignorance. This sort of vitriol falls under the umbrella of a belief that criminal defence lawyers are defending the indefensible: "How do you defend someone who is guilty?"

On Budget night this year, and with much fanfare, the government announced a $148.7 million injection of funds into New Zealand’s legal aid system, to be drip-fed over the next four years.

The money would, the government said, “ensure continued access to justice by significantly strengthening the legal aid scheme”. It would also allow for changes to woefully low financial eligibility thresholds and boost the equally low remuneration for legal aid lawyers.

An additional $41.4m has been granted to meet the expected increase in demand for legal aid when the income thresholds change on 1 January next year and an estimated 93,000 more people become eligible.

A well-known social media influencer has been found guilty of preying on two teenage boys, performing sexual acts on them while they were unconscious or asleep.

Interim name suppression remains in place until sentencing for the man, who is now convicted of five counts of sexual violation by unlawful sexual connection. However, jurors acquitted him of one count of sexual violation, along with three counts of blackmail and two counts of aggravated wounding by stupefaction.

It took the 11-person panel about five hours of deliberation to reach the split verdict, which came after three weeks of testimony in the High Court at Auckland.

An Auckland man who hid meth in Covid masks and sent them to the South Island during lockdown used his sister's bank details to avoid detection.

The man, a former representative rugby player who has name suppression, sent 10 parcels containing 22.5g of methamphetamine to buyers in Dunedin and Oamaru between August and October 2020.

He would use fake sender names to avoid detection and once the package arrived, consumers would pay him via bank transfer, occasionally using his sister's bank account to avoid detection.

He was eventually caught by police with 52g of methamphetamine that he had purchased while travelling around the South Island.

OPINION:

We have heard a lot lately about the low conviction rates in sexual violence cases – although, in fact, conviction rates for sexual violation are actually in line with those for some other violent crimes.

There is a misconception that this is because there is something wrong with the criminal justice system. I do not accept this.

There is no criticism of the need to respect the rights of victims of sexual offending. That is as important to me as the next person.

I was a senior Crown prosecutor for 11 years, prosecuting many sexual trials before I became a defence lawyer. Although my view on the criminal justice system as it applies to sex trials will be unpopular with some, I feel it is my duty to correct some misconceptions.

Rape is a devastating crime for the victim. A false conviction for rape, however, is a devastating injustice for an innocent defendant.

An elderly South Auckland man was allegedly gunned down in his home in a prison-ordered "hit gone wrong", lawyers of the murder-accused have said in court.

The fatal shooting of rugby league coach and enthusiast Peter Rasmussen, 75, came days after Auckland was plunged into lockdown during the Delta outbreak in August.

It rocked the Ōtāhuhu community where he lived, especially those associated with his much-loved club, the Ōtāhuhu Rovers Rugby League Football Club, where he spent much of his time.

Yesterday, the alleged murder in Rasmussen's home was claimed to have been "very American in style" and "unprecedented in New Zealand" by one criminal barrister.

A Killer Beez inmate who shanked a rival gang member in retaliation for the death of his niece after she was raped by the Mongrel Mob has had his sentence reduced after the courts found the term of imprisonment was "manifestly unjust".

Some of New Zealand's top lawyers become household names for the high-profile cases and clients they are forever linked to in the public's mind.

While the country's industry is small by global standards there are still the heavy hitters who excel in the courtroom before a jury and judge.

A good defence lawyer or prosecutor can turn a case in their favour before a trial even begins and certainly before it ends.

Most of the country's legal fraternity is based in Auckland and Wellington, where many of the country's highest-profile criminal cases take place in the High Court.

RAISING THE BAR ON LEADERSHIP

Contributing one’s talent and energy to the legal profession while paving an equitable path for future generations is not easy. However, each of the 35 winners on NZ Lawyer’s Elite Women list has proven she can rise to the challenge.

Recognising the legal profession’s women leaders in this special report is part of NZ Lawyer’s goal to create a platform to highlight the views and experiences of these accomplished women.

A prisoner who took part in a fatal assault inside the country’s maximum security prison has had four years added to his prison sentence.

Lopeti Telefoni was sentenced for the manslaughter of Blake Lee at the High Court in Auckland on Friday, his 22nd birthday.

CCTV video of the March 2020 attack, inside an exercise yard, showed Telefoni drop Lee with a single punch before another prisoner, Siuaki Lisiate, repeatedly stomped on Lee’s head and stabbed him with a shank.