First hearing in mandatory COVID-19 vaccination legal challenge draws big crowd

Please login to bookmark Close

A judge has found three lawsuits contesting compulsory COVID-19 vaccination orders by the New South Wales health minister should be heard together given the importance of avoiding competing judgments in the cases, which raise questions of public interest and drew tens of thousands of viewers to a live streamed hearing.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

Law firms say more COVID-19 cost cutting measures not on the cards

Please login to bookmark Close

Despite COVID-19 case numbers in Australia hitting historic highs and the threat of an economic recession, law firms are cautiously optimistic about their ability to weather the storm without redundancies or reductions in staff pay. 

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

Myer takes Mark Elliott’s firm to court over $1.4M legal bill

Please login to bookmark Close

A firm created by solicitor Mark Elliott as a vehicle to launch shareholder class actions has been taken to court by Myer over an unpaid $1.4 million legal bill racked up in defending a class action that was thrown out as an abuse of process.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

PwC partner at centre of ATO privilege spat earned less than non-lawyer assistants, court hears

Please login to bookmark Close

A PwC partner who the ATO claims was assigned to work on a matter for meat processing company JBS to bring a “cloak of legal privilege” earned hundreds of dollars less per hour than his non-lawyer assistants, a court has heard.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

Blue Sky privilege battle should be fought in class action, judge says

Please login to bookmark Close

A dispute over redactions in books and records produced by defunct fund manager Blue Sky to a prospective class action applicant should be hashed out within the class action, a judge has found.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

Class action members likely misled about cross-claims in BSA case, judge says

Please login to bookmark Close

A judge will allow workers in a sham contracting class action against technical services contractor BSA to rejoin the case after opting out, saying the company’s communications during the opt out period were capable of misleading “at least a significant proportion” of group members.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

ACCC signs off on BPAY, eftpos, New Payments Platform merger

Please login to bookmark Close

The ACCC has given the OK to the proposed merger of BPAY, eftpos and the New Payments Platform, saying competition between the three payment system companies was marginal and that “strong competitors” would remain after the union.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

AMP looks to shield chats with ex-DST director in poaching dispute

Please login to bookmark Close

Software company DST Bluedoor is fighting to access communications between its former founding director and AMP in a $35.5 million legal stoush alleging the financial services firm induced 11 employees to jump ship after licensing its online platform.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

PwC client says ATO’s privilege case ‘nightmare to the rule of law’

Please login to bookmark Close

Meat processing company and former PricewaterhouseCoopers client JBS has slammed as a “nightmare to the rule of law” a claim by the Commissioner of Taxation that the accounting giant’s internal protocols destroyed the company’s lawyer-client relationship.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?

Seqwater wins appeal in Queensland floods class action

Please login to bookmark Close

Water supplier and dam operator Seqwater has won its high-stakes challenge to a ruling finding it liable for the 2011 Queensland floods and sticking it with half the damages owed to thousands of class action members.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?
Lost your password?