Business of Law

The national operations manager at an Australian law firm has been struck from the roll for professional misconduct after a tribunal found she had a “pattern and history of dishonesty” while dealing with trust accounts. 

Piper Alderman has snagged six partners from Squire Patton Boggs, many of whom were at the global firm for over a decade, to join its corporate, construction and financial services teams.

A judge has referred a solicitor to the legal watchdog after he ceased to act without giving the required notice to his client, saying he appeared to have been “dumped” on the eve of a directions hearing.

A former client of Holding Redlich has brought proceedings against the firm over what he says were inadequate fee disclosures. 

Half of the Big Six law firms have made improvements in closing the gender pay gap, according to the latest numbers from the Workplace Gender Equality Agency.

Clayton Utz has snagged a partner with experience advising on financing for major projects from Baker McKenzie.

Johnson Winter Slattery has lured a partner from DLA Piper who has extensive experience working on major energy projects.

A judge has made a lump sum costs order against a Sydney barrister in his long running dispute with a solicitor over a $320,000 bill, saying for a second time that his conduct in filing reams of material over the issue of costs was unreasonable.

A former capital partner of HWL Ebsworth wants the High Court to overturn a finding that he was validly expelled from the partnership, arguing the firm’s conduct breached the Equal Opportunity Act.

Defamation boutique Giles George has a “good arguable case” that it has a solicitor’s lien over costs payable by Nine in a defamation case by barrister Gina Edwards over social media cavoodle Oscar.