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Class action pioneer from Maurice Blackburn will ‘strive for fair’ as new judge
As the head of Maurice Blackburn's class actions group he helped win hundreds of millions of dollars for claimants and shaped the jurisprudence around the practice. As the Victorian Supreme Court's newest judge, Andrew Watson has promised to keep up the fight for fair.
NSW court avoids mention of preferred pronouns in latest practice note
The NSW Supreme Court has issued a practice note on forms of address that fails to invite parties to inform the court of their preferred pronouns, unlike two other state courts, one of which came under fire from 'Harry Potter' author JK Rowling last year.
Victoria Solicitor-General Rowena Orr appointed to appeals court
Senior counsel for the banking royal commission Rowena Orr KC has been appointed as a judge on Victoria's Court of Appeal, with class action silk Alistair Pound appointed to fill her shoes as the state's solicitor-general.
Solicitor accused of raising money for class action he never filed can’t dodge watchdog’s claims
A Sydney solicitor has lost his bid to summarily dismiss the legal watchdog’s case alleging he set up misleading crowdfunding pages seeking funding for class actions over government orders requiring mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, as well as another class action that was never filed.
Judge’s refusal to disqualify himself from MinterEllison costs dispute overturned
A judge’s refusal to recuse himself from hearing a costs dispute between MinterEllison and a former client has been overturned, with a court finding that a number of complaints made about the judge by the client created “a contest” between them.
Ex temp the small stuff and other tips from a High Court judge
How to tell if a judge is buried under a mountain of outstanding judgments? Their mood will say it all. A sure-fire way to prolong that hearing with a vexatious litigant? Engage them in dialogue. Here, Lawyerly shares a High Court judge's war stories and tips for new members of the bench. But what weight to give them? That's a matter for you, he says.
Litigant tells court Dentons are his new lawyers, firm tersely denies it
A litigant in an estate dispute dropped his lawyers and filed a notice to the court naming Dentons Australia as his new firm of solicitors. Unhappily for him he made two mistakes: filing the notice himself, and apparently failing to tell anyone at Dentons he had hired them.
Investigation of DPP complaint against Supreme Court judge Lex Lasry discontinued
Victoria's judicial watchdog has dropped its investigation of a complaint against Supreme Court Justice Lex Lasry by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Kerri Judd SC, who accused the judge of making comments attacking her professional integrity.
Judge’s ruling a warning to lawyers tempted by ChatGPT
A judge's decision to place little weight on the character reference of a defendant that read like the work of ChatGPT should make lawyers think twice before employing artificial intelligence to author material intended for the court's eyes.
What led to judge’s resignation was ‘regrettable and extraordinary’, judicial body says
Former Supreme Court of Victoria Justice Lex Lasry served with the "highest standards of integrity", and the circumstances that led to his resignation from the bench were "regrettable and extraordinary", the president of Australia's association of judges has said as reports emerge that the DPP has made a complaint about a second judge.