With new lockdown measures being rolled out on a daily basis to combat COVID-19, vast numbers of Australians have found themselves working from home, many for the first time. As employers and staff scramble to set up makeshift home offices and navigate the world of video conferencing, lawyers are reminding their clients not to forget the legal risks that come with remote working.
The Federal Court is pushing ahead with an expedited trial in Icon Co’s case against Liberty Mutual Insurance and QBE over the Opal Tower disaster, just one month after originally scheduled, and it’s going online to do it.
A judge has ordered ASIC to wait 48 hours after making any decision to send a warning notice to investment conglomerate Mayfair 101 before publicly issuing the notice, despite the regulator’s call for urgent action amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
After almost five years of litigation, a Federal Court judge said he will approve a $127.1 million settlement of five class actions against Volkswagen over the diesel emissions scandal, but appeared unwilling to sign off on a 25 per cent uplift in fees sought by one of the plaintiffs firms.
After insisting that employees remain working in the office despite tough government restrictions to combat the spread of the new coronavirus, HWL Ebsworth has changed its tune, saying any lawyer wishing to work remotely could now do so, and would be paid as usual.
The CFMEU said Thursday that a Melbourne construction worker had tested positive for coronavirus, but maintained its position that construction sites should be deemed an ‘essential service’ and be allowed to remain open during the pandemic.
The litigation funder controlled by recently deceased class action lawyer Mark Elliott has lost its bid for a 12.5 per cent commission of a $5.5 million settlement secured by the special purpose receivers of Banksia Securities in its claim against the collapsed firm’s former insurance broker.
Nappy maker Rascal + Friends has brought a lawsuit seeking to invalidate a patent held by Japanese competitor Uni-Charm.
The judge overseeing the $212.5 million settlement in three toxic foam class actions against the Commonwealth of Australia has been told of at least one objection to the deal and has flagged difficulties taking submissions from opposing group members at an upcoming approval hearing.
The hunt for the missing Blackberry of deceased class action lawyer and funder Mark Elliott is over, and the located phone will now be examined by IT experts to see if it can be searched for potential evidence to be used as part of an investigation of alleged professional misconduct by the legal team behind a class action against failed Banksia Securities.
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