Cindy Cameronne

Law firms are facing a historic growth in expenses, despite lawyers becoming notably less productive, according to a new report on the legal industry.

A shareholder in Adero Law has brought proceedings seeking access to the law firm’s books and records for the period in which the firm was running numerous underpayment group proceedings. 

Two law firms that have been jointly running a class action against the NSW government over light rail construction in Sydney are now competing to run the case solo, after their relationship broke down and the funder lost confidence in one of the firms, a court has heard.

A class action against Volkswagen over allegedly deadly Takata airbags has failed a second time after an appeals court found “a merely speculative” risk of rupture was not enough to find the vehicles unacceptable.

A top orthopaedic surgeon and former NSW Australian of the year has argued in his defamation case against Nine that stories detailing his alleged negligence misled the public about medical issues and were the “opposite of public interest” journalism. 

A 16-year battle between the federal government and drug maker Sanofi-Aventis over an allegedly unjustified court order that prevented the release of a generic version of blockbuster blood-thinner Plavix has gone to the High Court.

ASIC wants to re-run its case against investment group M101 Nominees and founder James Mawhinney after admitting it made errors at its initial trial, arguing for new fines and disqualification orders on remittal by the Full Court, a judge has heard.

A judge overseeing the defamation trial of former commando Heston Russell said he was “disturbed” by an ABC press release following the broadcaster’s decision to drop its public interest defence on the eve of trial, which was reinstated days later.

A judge hearing closing submissions in Heston Russell’s defamation case against the ABC has expressed “significant reservations” about evidence by the former commando and said that a “less than complete” story could still be protected under the new public interest defence.

A judge has said that an underpayments class action’s challenge to hospitality giant Merivale’s argument that it does not owe back wages because it relied on an enterprise agreement it believed was valid should be heard before trial.