Bruce Lehrmann is preparing to launch defamation proceedings after the criminal charges against him were dropped. 

Former Liberal Party staffer Brittany Higgins accused Mr Lehrmann of raping her inside the Parliament House office of the minister who they both worked for in 2019.

He denied the allegation and maintained the pair never had any sexual interaction.

Mr Lehrmann’s criminal trial in the ACT Supreme Court was derailed in October due to juror misconduct and he was due to face a retrial next February.

But ACT Director of Public Prosecutions Shane Drumgold announced he would not proceed with a second trial due to the “unacceptable risk” it posed to Ms Higgins’ life. 

In a statement to AAP on Wednesday, Sydney law firm Mark O’Brien Legal confirmed it would represent Mr Lehrmann in potential defamation proceedings. 

“Mark O’Brien Legal is acting on behalf of Bruce Lehrmann … over a number of public statements, broadcasts, articles and social media posts concerning the recently discontinued criminal proceedings against him,” the statement said. 

The firm’s founder Mark Geoffrey O’Brien is a prominent lawyer with more than 40 years experience managing cases to do with the media and defamation. 

He is one of the lawyers representing former SAS soldier Ben Roberts-Smith in his defamation case against the Nine newspapers.

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