Meet Bruce Lehrmann’s new lawyer

Criminal lawyer Zali Burrows.

Anyone want to see Bruce Lehrmann’s new lawyer in action?

Zali Burrows won’t just be appearing for the former Liberal staffer in his Federal Court appeal later this year. She’ll also be taking his place at conservative commentator Bettina Arndt’s Presumption of Innocence conference in August.

Lehrmann was initially hailed as one of the keynote speakers for Arndt’s event, but he dropped out after judge Michael Lee ruled he most likely raped Brittany Higgins.

Now, for only $110, you can watch as Burrows “lifts the lid on how our justice system has been tilted to favour victims, undermining fair treatment for accused men”.

Some might think it was an odd choice for Lehrmann to retain Burrows - a criminal lawyer - to handle one of the country’s most complex defamation appeals.

She is by no means a libel specialist, being most well known for criminal law. Her former clients include convicted fraudster Salim Mehajer, convicted drug importer Bassam Hamzy and convicted terrorist Hamdi Alqudsi.

Lawyer for Bruce Lehrmann, Zali Burrows, leaves the Federal Court on Thursday. Picture: NewsWire / Nikki Short

Burrows has had some dealings in defamation law.

In 2020 she sued another Australian solicitor over tweets criticising her legal conduct. She claimed one of the tweets, including an emoji of a zip-shut mouth, carried the imputation she had faced disciplinary action had been recommended for a life ban by ASIC, and/or had engaged in criminal conduct. The NSW District Court ruled that an emoji could contain a defamatory meaning.

Ipso Facto understands Lehrmann only subbed in Burrows at the very last minute, previously indicating he would handle the appeal himself. He has had plenty of help from a band of silks in getting the appeal to this point - including Margaret Cunneen SC and Guy Reynolds SC.

Burrows, a former United Australia Party candidate, brings her own history of controversy.

Last year, she was ordered to pay $130,000 to Macpherson Kelley Lawyers having failed in a bid to sue the firm for negligence. In 2022, she was reprimanded by the NSW Legal Services Commissioner for failing to act in the best interests of clients and being discourteous in court.

Burrows has also been assisting Lehrmann in a matter brought against him by his former landlord Gaenor Meakes, who claims he and his dog caused more than $19,000 damage to a luxury Sydney home the Seven Network had rented for him as part of an exclusive TV interview deal.

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Legal movements

• Global professional services company GHD has named May Lin Chew as its new Chief Legal Officer. Chew will depart Western Power, where she has been for about three years, and join GHD from August 19.
• NSW Local Court magistrate Kasey Pearce has been appointed as a deputy state coroner to bolster resources ahead of the inquest into Bondi Junction stabbings.
• State prosecutor Melissa McEwen has been appointed a magistrate of the Western Australian Magistrates Court, commencing her new role on August 5.

Mum’s false Aboriginality claims

A Melbourne mum has had her bail revoked after blatantly lying about being Aboriginal.

In a bizarre judgment in the Victorian Supreme Court this week, Haley Terei, who is accused of stealing seven firearms, ammunition, $470,000 in cash, gold nuggets and other valuables from a home in Hastings, was outed for lying about her Indigenous heritage.

She claimed she inherited her Aboriginality from her Yorta Yorta mother, who died when she was three years old, and leveraged this background to get bail.

However, once enquiries were made, the court found Terei’s mother is from New Zealand, and is very much still alive.

“While this is not the time to determine the current allegations made against Ms Terei, the Arunta phone recordings provide strong evidence that Ms Terei is not an Aboriginal person and sought to gain some benefit in the bail application on the basis of identifying as an Aboriginal person,” judge Rita Incerti wrote in a judgment revoking bail.

“As a result of the breaches of bail and the fresh allegations of serious dishonesty offences, I have found that Ms Terei does pose an unacceptable risk of endangering the safety or welfare of any other person, failing to answer bail and interfering with a witness or otherwise obstructing the course of justice.”

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