Staff at the Sydney office of Clayton Utz can return to work Monday after the law firm sent employees home last week amid concerns that one of its employees has been exposed to the coronavirus.
Country Care and two employees have lost an appeal of a first-of-its kind Federal Court ruling on jury directions in a criminal cartel case against the mobile equipment provider.
A former Norton Rose Fulbright partner who accused a Federal Court judge of bias has failed in his bid to have the judge recuse himself on the first day of trial in the long running termination dispute, which was heard in Melbourne this week.
While the recommendations of three previous inquiries stay shelved, Attorney General Christian Porter has announced another examination into Australia’s class action regime, a move panned as purely political by at least one leading practitioner.
As Victoria looks set to pass legislation allowing law firms to cut litigation funders out of class action work, and the High Court increases the risks of financing group proceedings, funders operating in Australia have been forced to think on their feet to adapt to the ever-changing regime. Australia’s largest litigation funder IMF Bentham is no exception, CEO Andrew Saker told Lawyerly.
A former financial advisor has pleaded guilty to charges that he falsified share applications to satisfy minimum spread requirements for four companies wanting to float on the Australian Stock Exchange, in the first criminal case of its kind.
A former Piper Alderman partner is seeking to revive her unlawful discrimination case dismissed last year by the Australian Human Rights Commission, saying the seriousness of the allegations and the “public importance” of protecting women leaders from discrimination were powerful reasons to allow her claims to move forward.
A judge has directed solicitors for deceased lawyer and funder Mark Elliott to search for his missing mobile phone, which is wanted for potential evidence by a court-appointed contradictor investigating alleged professional misconduct on the part of the legal team behind a settled class action against failed Banksia Securities.
The Australian Stock Exchange has denied claims by ISignthis that it suspended the fintech company’s shares without warning and at the direction of ASIC, but has admitted that it told the company it would consult with the securities regulator before lifting the ongoing suspension.
Former AMP general counsel Larissa Cook, who is suing the financial services giant for alleged bullying, wants her former employer to provide details of claims in its defence that senior executives raised concerns about her conduct and that her performance was being “managed”.