Attackers bash lawyer and grab sobbing assistant

By BRIDGET CARTER

A commercial lawyer is recovering at his North Shore home from concussion and bruising after an attack involving a disgruntled client.

Nicholas Porter, an Auckland solicitor, was assaulted after two men entered his Shortland St office on Monday at 2.20pm.

He was struck from behind and remembered nothing of what happened: "I was out like a light."

When he regained consciousness, he was surrounded by police.

He had a black eye and severe swelling to the left side of his face, but said it could have been a lot worse. "It could have been a knifing or murder easily."

As a commercial lawyer, he did not expect dangerous clients.

He and his legal executive, 23-year-old Claire Smith, received trauma counselling yesterday.

Mr Porter was concerned about the men returning. Installing a glass wall and a buzzer would not stop them, he said.

"Guys as crazy as this would punch through glass.

"It was serious. My legal executive who was dragged away expected me to be dead."

Mr Porter, who runs his own practice, said the client had been into the office that morning without an appointment.

He wanted money from a deposit paid on an apartment he had sold.

Mr Porter was explaining that he was holding the money in trust and could not release it until the transaction was completed.

Knowing that the man was "a hot head", he was not keen to do much more for him and asked him to get another lawyer.

When he returned in the afternoon, the client had with him a man, calling himself a Brazilian boxer.

The pair dragged his sobbing legal executive on to the street, and police say she called 111.

Mr Porter's back was to the office entrance when the assault occurred.

"I just blacked out, I don't know what hit me."

Auckland barrister Brian Henry was there after the assault took place and said Mr Porter was "totally groggy".

It was thought that he was struck with knuckle dusters or a baseball bat because of the force involved.

"It was bloody awful. Nicholas is the sort of guy who would run 300 miles before upsetting anyone."

Police spokeswoman Andi Devlin said police arrived five minutes after the legal executive called 111, but the men had left.She said the Auckland police criminal investigation unit were still investigating the incident and would take a statement from Mr Porter today.

The Herald understands that almost immediately after the attack, the assailant boarded a flight to Sydney.