Attempted attack on barrister in Perth CBD

Barrister Lloyd Rayney was recently attacked in the Perth CBD, his lawyer has told a court during a defamation case against the West Australian government.

Mr Rayney is suing the state for being named by a senior policeman in 2007 as the prime and only suspect in the murder of his Supreme Court registrar wife, Corryn.

Mr Rayney was found not guilty of her murder in 2012.

Lawyer Martin Bennett told a directions hearing for the defamation case on Thursday there had been a recent attempt to assault Mr Rayney.

Mr Rayney has previously said some people in the community continued to believe he had killed his estranged wife.

The matter has been adjourned to May for a mediation session and Mr Bennett told reporters outside court he hoped the case would be settled before it reached a trial.

Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan said a person cleared of a crime should not be targeted.

Meanwhile, the Legal Practice Board has confirmed it will not appeal a separate decision by the State Administrative Tribunal (SAT) to reinstate Mr Rayney's certificate to practise law.

The board had struck Mr Rayney off, arguing he was not a "fit and proper person" to practise law due to his alleged behaviour leading up to his wife's death and the subsequent police investigation, but the SAT dismissed the claim.