Business of Law

Corrs Chambers Westgarth has followed other firms in bolstering its projects offering with its latest partner promotions, with two of the firm's four new partners boasting expertise on complex energy and infrastructure projects.

The latest new suits feature billion-dollar infrastructure brawls, fresh employment claims against Telstra and Woolworths, and regulators flexing their enforcement muscle.

Gilbert + Tobin, Holding Redlich, Thomsons and HWL Ebsworth have announced their partner promotions for 2026, with projects and infrastructure among the key practice areas to benefit from this year's appointments.

McCullough Robertson has won its bid to strike out a former client's professional negligence case, with a judge finding that its reliance on “common sense and experience” in its pleading was inadequate. 

Australian firms will continue to join forces with firms in the United States in a bid for higher partner profits and in response to client demand for a one-firm, multi-location service, an expert has predicted.

Seyfarth Shaw has hired DLA Piper's former head of labor and employment in Australia to join its team in Sydney.

Law firm Hall & Wilcox has promoted three dispute specialists to partner as part of a bumper crop of solicitors to advance this year. 

A judge has rejected Hall & Wilcox's bid to narrow the terms of the court's inquiry into whether legal advice it provided to defunct construction group Hastie was reasonable, before a costs assessor weighs in on the firm's $18.6 million legal bill. 

HopgoodGanim has hired a lawyer from Corrs Chambers to join its real estate and development team as a special counsel in Brisbane. 

Clayton Utz has promoted five senior lawyers to its partnership, including a class actions specialist, the smallest round of promotions this year among the Big Six.