Michele Wilkinson-Smith takes the bench on 1 February
Attorney-General Judith Collins has officially announced the appointment of Michele Marina Wilkinson-Smith, the current Whanganui Crown Solicitor, as High Court Judge.
Wilkinson-Smith, a distinguished legal professional, brings a wealth of experience to the bench. After graduating from Auckland University School of Law in 1993, Wilkinson-Smith commenced her legal career as a staff solicitor with Brewer Mazengarb in New Plymouth. She later became a partner of Auld Brewer Mazengarb and McEwen in 1998.
In 2004, Wilkinson-Smith entered the independent bar, practising as a defence barrister in Auckland and serving as a Crown panel prosecutor in Palmerston North until 2016. She was part of the Legal Aid Review Panel from 2008 to 2011 and was visiting justice at the Whanganui Prison from 2011 to 2016. She has been part of the Legal Aid Performance Review Committee since 2015.
Wilkinson-Smith has acted in several high-profile criminal trials and appeared in New Zealand's appellate courts. She was also a faculty member of the New Zealand Law Society Litigation Skills Programme.
She assumed the role of Crown Solicitor for Whanganui in 2016, taking over from Lance Rowe following his appointment to the District Court Bench in April 2016.
Wilkinson-Smith's appointment to the High Court is set to take effect on 1 February.
