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As law firms increasingly embrace AI in their work, it's just a matter of time before they face negligence and other claims over their use of the technology, according to one expert.
Lawyers have welcomed a judge's orders that AI be used in class actions to improve efficiency, but warned it could remove opportunities for junior solicitors to hone necessary skills.
Class action firms reaping the benefits of contingency fees should brace for more high-dollar security for costs applications, on top of the reputational risks of having their finances aired in court, defence lawyers told Lawyerly.
In the six years since Victoria introduced a contingency fee regime, close to $200 million has been paid out to class action law firms. And with the Supreme Court soon to hear applications for approval of three more settlements, one firm is set to earn the highest payout to date.
The number of new class actions this year is on track to be the lowest in 10 years as plaintiff firms wait to see which way the High Court will lean in a crucial shareholder case and funders redeploy capital to nascent class action jurisdictions.
Class action settlements are off to a sluggish start in 2026, with only two mega-settlements of $100 million or more reached and the country's leading plaintiff law firm yet to get on the board.
A new ban on unfair trading practices could significantly broaden the scope of consumer class actions, with experts predicting plaintiff firms will use the reforms to pursue claims over conduct that has until now fallen outside the reach of misleading or deceptive conduct laws.
Competition lawyers are watching with interest to see if Coles appeals the ACCC's decision to block its proposed acquisition of a leasehold interest in a site in Kalgoorlie, with a tribunal review to provide a valuable early test of the new merger regime.
Engineering services firm Worley might win the High Court's leave to appeal its loss in a shareholder class action despite the justices delving into many of the same issues raised in cases against the Commonwealth Bank, experts tell Lawyerly.
ASIC may reconsider its approach to claims against non-executive directors after failing to prove that three NEDs of Rex had actual knowledge that the failed budget airline did not have a reasonable basis for a rosy profit forecast, experts told Lawyerly.