A criminal defence lawyer who pleaded guilty to drug possession after being caught with cocaine outside a Queensland courthouse has been slapped with a $10,000 fine and a public reprimand after breaching a drug testing undertaking.
A judge has refused to recuse himself from a sexual harassment case against the Western Australian Department of Justice after counsel for the department donated $500 to a GoFundMe for his brother-in-law.
A judge has questioned whether an investor in failed Banksia Securities can bring a case against a court-appointed receiver over his support for a class action settlement later found to involve deception by a team of lawyers.
The receiver for Banksia Securities — the failed lender at the centre of a scandal-ridden class action — has argued a new case accusing him of serious misconduct is vexatious and wants a court to release him from the claims.
The Legal Practice Board in Western Australia has revealed more data, including lawyer data, was accessed during a 21 May cyberattack than was previously thought.
A judge has clarified a warning he made to refer lawyers for Alvarez & Marsal to the legal watchdog after hearing of the hefty costs of complying with discovery orders won by rival EY, saying the threat wasn’t directed at counsel.
A tribunal has recommended that lawyer and wealth guru Dominique Grubisa be struck from the roll of practitioners over conduct that included hiring a private investigator to look into another solicitor.
The Chief Justice of the Queensland Supreme Court has warned lawyers they could be referred to the legal watchdog or face a personal costs order if they file submissions that contain hallucinations produced by generative artificial intelligence.
Releasing guidelines for the use of generative artificial intelligence, the Queensland court system has this week cautioned judges against the use of AI tools for decision-making.
Another judge has railed against the use of generative AI in court proceedings, after a self-represented litigant filed an application to annul his bankruptcy that was replete with fake citations.