Tears at 4am in Iceland over Roberts-Smith verdict

Michael PellyLegal editor

Jun 8, 2023 – 2.44pm

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At 4.15am, in the reception area of a hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland, MinterEllison partner Peter Bartlett was perched over his laptop computer watching the result of the Ben Roberts-Smith defamation trial.

He had lived the case for the past five years, and wanted to be there for the finale. But he was on the other side of the world at the tail end of a holiday he had planned since before COVID-19 hit in 2020.

Michael Pelly is the legal editor, based in our Sydney newsroom. He has been a senior adviser to federal and state attorneys-general and written two books, one a biography of former High Court Chief Justice Murray Gleeson.