Nelson Arias: Partner at Sydney law firm charged with assault, served AVO

A top eastern suburbs lawyer shook his head in disbelief at court as he faced a charge of assault and an interim AVO. One day earlier, a court heard his arrest inconvenienced a $2m property deal.

Arias appeared at Waverley local court on Thursday.

A ‘highly regarded’ partner at a commercial law firm appeared at an eastern suburbs court to face an assault charge, securing bail to be released from remand at an eastern suburbs police station.

Nelson Arias, 40, of Randwick, was charged with assault and served an AVO at Waverley Local Court on Wednesday.

The legal practitioner pleaded not guilty to assault to Magistrate Jacqueline Milledge through his lawyer on Thursday.

On Wednesday, when Arias appeared at court via AVL link from remand at the police station, his barrister Sebastian De Brennan of Seventh Floor Garfield Barwick Chambers argued for his release based on the fact a jail sentence was not a foregone conclusion for his client if he was found guilty of the charge.

“A custodial sentence would not be inevitable,” Mr De Brennan told the court.

Waverley Local Court

The court heard that Arias, a partner at a large law firm specialising in construction, had been forced to delay a $2m project he had been working on because of his arrest.

The Randwick man has “strong community ties” and would accept strict bail conditions to secure his release, Mr De Brennan told the court, including not returning to his young family at home.

Magistrate Milledge granted Arias bail on Wednesday.

A Mr Edwards appeared at court to represent Arias on behalf of Mr De Brennan on Thursday to enter the plea and request changes to the bail conditions “so that he is able to return to his residence and alleviate the stress.”

Bail changes to enable Arias to return home were granted by Magistrate Ross Hudson.

The matter will return to court in 2023.