Barristers

Defence minister Peter Dutton has given evidence of his "hurt" at trial in a defamation case over a tweet accusing him of being a rape apologist, while the judge presiding over the hearing has warned lawyers for the tweeter to act as solicitors not "supporters".

“Hundreds of lawyers” could overwhelm Microsoft Teams if German cladding manufacturer 3A Composites continues adding cross-claimants in a class action over highly flammable building materials, a court has heard.

Westpac will serve court documents, including a motion for contempt, on Forum founder Bill Papas by text message after securing a Greek mobile number for the absent accused fraudster, as the judge overseeing the bank's case pulled up Papas' former lawyer for treating his courtroom like a "suburban golf club".

The New South Wales government has accused anti-vaccination advocates of having a “misguided” and “one-dimensional focus” on the fundamental rights of the individual over those of a community contending with the highly-contagious Delta variant of COVID-19. 

After more than a year-and-a-half of virtual trials, Australia’s barristers have adapted and come up with the best techniques to maintain an edge when cross-examining witnesses in the virtual courtroom.

The Australian Taxation Office has won an urgent bid to freeze the assets of James Raptis and 11 associated entities, after accusing the Queensland property developer of dodging $109.5 million in taxes since 2000.

Insurers are misleading policyholders about class actions which seek compensation for those denied business interruption coverage for COVID-related shutdowns, a court has heard.

A judge has told a Colonial First State Investments unit to provide information about its financial position to the lead applicant in a class action and criticised the company for failing to disclose that it had transferred its liabilities after the class action was launched.

AMP has flagged a potential stay of a lawsuit filed by a Sydney-based financial planner against that overlaps with a class action brought by advisors alleging they suffered financial losses from changes in the company's buyer of last resort policy.

Individuals challenging public health orders mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for certain workers in New South Wales have told a court “the line was crossed” when the state government threatened their livelihoods.