Despite a global economic slowdown Australian lawyers won’t face layoffs like their US counterparts, legal insiders say, but some who cashed in during the COVID-19 talent drought shouldn’t expect to see raises any time soon.
A court has blessed a trust’s settlement with Ernst & Young that resolves a negligence case linked to a decade-long tax dispute that went to the High Court, rejecting an objection to the deal and saying it was “time this matter was brought to a conclusion”.
Optus has denied class action claims that customers suffered loss and damages for its alleged negligence in relation to last year’s massive data breach and argues they are not entitled to compensation for distress, frustration or disappointment that does not amount to a recognised psychiatric illness.
The tax leaks scandal engulfing PricewaterhouseCoopers has been referred to the newly formed National Anti-Corruption Commission, as the accounting firm sacks eight partners for professional governance breaches.
Baby food maker Bellamy’s better have a good explanation for ditching settlement talks in a $400,000 sex discrimination lawsuit by former boss Tarsi Luo, a judge has warned.
A psychiatrist has reached a confidential settlement with Harper Collins in his defamation case over a book about the controversial deep sleep therapy at the Chelmsford Private Hospital in the 1970s.
Oil company Lighthouse Corporation has lost its bid to force East Timor to jump through hoops to access a suite of documents in a $328 million dispute over a failed fuel supply agreement, but has succeeded in keeping the documents out of public hands amid fears by its director for his safety.
Johnson Winter Slattery has nabbed a Jones Day partner to work coast to coast at its Brisbane and Perth offices, bolstering the ranks of its disputes and insolvency team.
The new federal corruption watchdog that commenced operating Friday will likely turn its sights first on the award of public grants, and is expected to face a “huge backlog” of referrals.
A judge has cautioned two law firms running competing shareholder class actions over last October’s cyber attack on Medibank that they must keep their focus on the best interests of clients and group members, saying lawyers can lose sight of that duty when arguing for their case.
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