Redundancies will be a last resort for law firms dealing with a diminishing work pipeline during the COVID-19 pandemic, as they try to avoid the talent shortages they faced at the end of the global financial crisis, according to a leading legal recruiter.
The Kingdom of Spain is facing yet another Federal Court enforcement proceeding over its ill-fated renewable energy initiative, this time by a Luxembourg-based renewable investment firm seeking payment of a $75.1 million award granted by an international arbitration tribunal.
A judge has ordered that Joseph ‘Diamond Joe’ Gutnik’s Merlin Diamonds be wound up after the mining company’s provisional liquidators uncovered “serious contraventions” and a “serious failure of governance”.
The competition watchdog has signed off on the $16 billion acquisition of Carlton & United Breweries by Asahi after the Japanese beer giant offered to shed key beer and cider brands to seal the deal.
Barristers for the ACCC and online retailer Kogan have been asked to robe up at home as the previously in-person trial shifts to videochat in response to the COVID-19 health crisis.
Ashurst has brought on former Deloitte senior partner Philip Hardy to help launch its consulting arm to compete with the big four firms, and the law firm says Hardy’s experience will be an asset as it manages the challenges of COVID-19 on clients’ businesses.
The Chief Justice of the Federal Court says a system is needed to ensure parties don’t interrupt one another during virtual hearings, and noted the increase in online hearings brought on by the coronavirus may also free judges up to hear cases outside their registries.
A judge has decided not to hold a virtual trial in a long-running dispute between Guy Sebastian and his now self-represented former manager Titus Day over allegedly unpaid entitlements, due to difficulties in judging witness credibility and because Day might have a challenging time litigating online.
London-based litigation funder Balance Legal Capital has raised $162 million from institutional investors to pursue lawsuits in Australia and worldwide, including class actions.
An appeals court has found that parties forced to conduct hearings via telephone or video conference in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic are not disadvantaged by the new arrangements, refusing to delay the appeal of a $2.5 billion contractual dispute concerning the Ichthys gas project in the Northern Territory until the parties can appear in person before the court.
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