Three decades on from its rocky beginnings, when representatives of the coalition opposition decried the Part IVA bill as a “monstrosity” and as “looney”, “half baked” and “wrong” during parliamentary debates, the class action procedure and its legitimacy and efficacy have come to gain acceptance across the spectrum of practitioners and among the judiciary, says Maurice Blackburn’s Julian Schimmel.
Over the last 30 years, the class action regimes have undoubtedly improved access to justice, helped to resolve disputes more efficiently, and reduced the costs of litigation. While the current spotlight on the role of litigation funding and returns to group members is warranted, other aspects of the regimes are ripe for reform, say Clayton Utz partners Greg Williams, Andrew Morrison, Alexandra Rose and senior associate Will Atfield.
Johnson Winter & Slattery has bolstered its growing cyber practice with the appointment of a leading data privacy lawyer from Corrs Chambers Westgarth.
The ACCC will target businesses seeking to use COVID-related disruptions to global and domestic supply chains as “a veil for illegal conduct” the watchdog’s outgoing chair has said in setting out the regulator’s priorities for 2022.
Directors have been warned by the corporate regulator to take an active role in the management of cyber risks or face enforcement action.
A barrister who worked on a class action against two security firms over failures in Victoria’s hotel quarantine program has been appointed to the County Court of Victoria, alongside three of his peers.
A new taxation super-group is on the horizon, with leading tax advisory firm Greenwoods set to join the ranks of PwC Australia’s financial advisory business in the midyear, amid a “war for talent” in the sector.
Law firm Herbert Smith Freehills has strengthened its financial services practice by luring two seasoned partners from Minter Ellison.
Johnson Winter & Slattery has snagged two tax bigwigs from Deloitte and KPMG Law to meet growing client demand for tax advice from law firms.
Hall & Wilcox has lured a senior finance, corporate and regulatory lawyer from the Reserve Bank of Australia, in what is being described as a major coup for the practice.