Solicitor closed law firm to dodge barrister’s fees, tribunal hears

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A solicitor has been found guilty of professional misconduct for shuttering his law practice to avoid paying a barrister’s $137,000 bill and for repeatedly failing to respond to the legal watchdog’s subsequent requests for information.

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Law firm partner takes fight with ATO over exit payment to High Court

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A retired law firm partner has taken his battle with the ATO to the High Court, arguing he is not liable to be taxed on $182,000 in goodwill payments he received on exiting the firm’s partnership in 2008. 

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Shine improves disclosures in wake of review, ASIC says

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The ASX-listed Shine Lawyers has earned marks for improvement in a review by ASIC of its disclosures relating to interest on litigation funding loans, the corporate regulator said Thursday.

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Graincorp hits back at class action over noisy, foul-smelling factory

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Agricultural giant Graincorp has hit back at a class action filed by rural Victorians who allege that a loud and foul-smelling oilseed factory run by the “high-handed” company has reduced the value of their homes and affected their health.

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Fairfax loses strike-out bid in defamation suit over Facebook comments

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A judge has denied Fairfax’s bid to strike out allegations by a Western Australian businessman that it was the publisher of allegedly defamatory comments that appeared on one of its Facebook pages.

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Build-to-rent next big thing in commercial real estate, says Baker McKenzie partner

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Commercial real estate practitioners can expect a rise in work for the build-to-rent sector amid Australia’s continuing housing crisis, says Baker McKenzie’s new partner, Emily Peverill, who joins the firm after 17 years at Herbert Smith Freehills.

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Crypto is ‘not money’: Finder Wallet fights ASIC case

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Finder Wallet has argued it did not need a financial services licence to sell its crypto product Finder Earn because it was not money, but instead allowed customers to purchase an asset and acted as a marketing tool to funnel users to its app. 

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High Court asked to revive Volkswagen airbags class action

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A failed class action against Volkswagen over Takata airbags is seeking special leave from the High Court, arguing an appeals court was wrong to find a reasonable consumer would be comfortable with an airbag that posed a potential risk of rupture.

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AMP agrees to talks in BOLR class action despite appeal

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AMP and a group of financial advisers in a class action over changes to the firm’s buyer of last resort policy have agreed to another round of mediation, even as the wealth manager appeals a judge’s liability finding.

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Ex-Greenwoods partner asks High Court to weigh in on whistleblower protections

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A former Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills partner who claims he was sacked for complaining about Lendlease’s attempts to avoid tax liability has asked the High Court to overrule a judgment finding recent changes to whistleblower protections do not apply retrospectively to cover his claims.

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