Ashurst has bolstered its disputes team by reclaiming a senior commercial litigation partner from Clifford Chance, who has predicted more defence firms will cross over and represent plaintiffs in class actions.
Juan Martinez, managing partner of Australia’s largest firm by partner count, died suddenly on Monday from a “medical issue”.
King & Wood Mallesons has settled a lawsuit by defunct stockbroker Halifax Investment Services alleging the firm and former auditor Bentleys failed to advise that it had to hold client funds used to trade on its online platform on trust.
McCullough Robertson has avoided a client’s bid for indemnity costs despite a judge’s finding the law firm waited an “inordinate” amount of time to withdraw a statutory demand for payment of a $237,000 legal bill.
Law firm Gadens has strengthened its IP and defamation practice with the appointments of a partner and associate from rival Banki Haddock Fiora.
Clayton Utz has snagged a big fish from Baker McKenzie, luring the head of the US firm’s restructuring and insolvency practice group.
Hall & Wilcox has recruited a mergers and acquisitions lawyer with cross-border expertise from EY to bolster its corporate practice in Sydney.
Ashurst is beefing up its risk consulting division with four new partners, who will launch an infrastructure and capital projects group and grow the firm’s data and analytics team.
Mainstream adoption of artificial intelligence in the legal community is right around the corner, and experts have urged law firm partners to take control and rise to the challenge rather than letting junior lawyers determine when and how the technology is utilised.
A Melbourne lawyer has received a suspended sentence of 30 days imprisonment for “stubborn and wilful disobedience” of court orders, after he failed to share logins and passwords to his firm’s computer records with an auditor appointed by Victoria’s legal watchdog.