Attorney-General Christoper Finlayson has announced the appointment of Michele Marina Wilkinson-Smith as Crown Solicitor for Whanganui, effective from 1 December 2016.

She takes over the role from Lance Rowe following his appointment as a District Court Judge in April 2016.

Ms Wilkinson-Smith graduated from the University of Auckland with a LLB(Hons) in 1993 and joined the independent bar in 2005. She has extensive criminal law experience, including 12 years as a Crown prosecutor and 11 years as a criminal defence barrister. She has also been a member of the Crown Prosecution Panel in Palmerston North since 2012.

She has acted in a number of high profile criminal trials and has appeared in all of New Zealand’s appellate courts. She is also a faculty member of the New Zealand Law Society Litigation Skills Programme.

Mr FInlayson says Wilkinson-Smith Lawyers will support the delivery of Crown prosecution services to the Whanganui region.