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Lawyerly will be closed from December 25 until January 8.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has renewed its calls for the government to adopt its proposed reforms to the merger regime, warning that consumers and businesses will pay the price for continuing anti-competitive mergers which enable parties to engage in “legal brinkmanship” with the regulator.

A judge has refused a bid by the ACT Police Chief to intervene on behalf of the AFP in Shane Drumgold SC legal challenge to the findings of an inquiry into the prosecution of Brittany Higgins' assault claims against Bruce Lehrmann, but has allowed six police officers to be joined to defend the findings.

The percentage of senior women barristers who were briefed on cases in the past financial year dropped from the previous year, according to the latest report on the peak legal body's equitable briefing initiative. The proportion of all counsel fees going to women also took a slide, the Law Council of Australia said.

Generative artificial intelligence will completely transform the legal industry, potentially decimating the billable hour in the process, and experts say practitioners who don’t embrace the technology will be swiftly replaced by those who do.

Swiss food and drink giant Nestle has resolved a lawsuit by a2 Milk over a trade mark for infant formula, agreeing to withdraw an application with IP Australia to register the mark, NAN A2.

Former Pinsent Masons lawyer George Varma has been recruited to Gilbert + Tobin's energy and resources team, marking the second lateral hire for the firm's Perth office this financial year.

A former Gilbert + Tobin lawyer with over 20 years' experience advising clients in finance transactions has joined Squire Patton Boggs' as a partner in Sydney.

Gilbert + Tobin has lured partner Orla McCoy from Clayton Utz to co-head the law firm's leading restructuring and insolvency team, strengthening the practice to over 18 core lawyers.

The Albanese Government has floated a new regulatory framework under which businesses would face steep penalties for failing to do their part to prevent scams.