Tiana Epati has been made a partner of Gisborne law firm Rishworth, Wall and Mathieson.

Ms Epati graduated from Auckland University in 2000 with a BA in philosophy and history and an LLB. She was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 2000, and commenced worth with Meredith Connell, where she was a Crown prosecutor for four years.

She moved to Wellington in 2004 to work as a Crown prosecutor with Luke Cunningham Clere before taking a one-year fixed term contract to work in the public law team at Izard Weston. On completion of the contract she returned to Luke Cunningham Clere.

Ms Epati moved to Crown Law in 2008 where she worked in the criminal law team.

She moved to Gisborne in 2012 and began work with Rishworth, Wall and Mathieson as a criminal defence lawyer.

Ms Epati was President of the New Zealand Law Society Gisborne branch from 2014 to 2016 and was elected the Law Society's Central North Island Vice-President on 15 April 2016.