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‘Arrogant’ barristers in Banksia class action struck off roll, face criminal probe
Legal Ethics 2021-10-11 5:00 pm By Christine Caulfield

Lawyers running the scandal-ridden Banksia class action have been struck from the roll of practitioners, will face criminal investigation and must pay group members $11.7 million in damages.

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Day of reckoning arrives for Banksia class action lawyers
Feature 2021-10-08 10:50 pm By Christine Caulfield

It has been described as the darkest chapter in Victoria’s legal history, an exemplar of all that is terrible with class actions in Australia. A case of greedy lawyers who found their golden egg in a group of retirees who had lost their life savings, never thinking the chickens might come home to roost. Until now.

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Barrister fights to remain anonymous as NSW Bar seeks stiffer penalty for lewd act
Legal Ethics 2021-10-08 9:20 pm By Bianca Hrovat

An appeals court hearing the case of a barrister who allegedly made a sexual comment to a clerk while intoxicated at a dinner following a legal industry event has questioned how a professional reprimand can serve a protective purpose if the person remains unnamed.

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COVID-positive barrister’s visit to chambers prompts vaccination push
COVID-19 2021-10-07 6:48 pm By Bianca Hrovat

The Victorian Bar has urged barristers to remain vigilant and get vaccinated against COVID-19 after Owen Dixon Chambers East was named as an exposure site.

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High Court frowns on judge’s private chats with counsel
Legal Ethics 2021-10-06 4:51 pm By Bianca Hrovat

Trial judges should not communicate with barristers outside of court, the High Court has ruled in a “troubling” case of apprehended bias that saw a divorcee’s counsel socialising with the judge presiding over her long-running and “tortured” Family Law case.

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Lawyer who allegedly doctored invoices, stole from client can’t stay suspension
Legal Ethics 2021-10-06 9:09 pm By Cindy Cameronne

A Sydney solicitor accused of stealing over $130,000 from a client and doctoring five invoices has lost a bid to pause the NSW Law Society’s suspension of her certificate after a judge found there was a “very significant” risk of harm to the public if she continued to practice.

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8 tips from top silks for nailing virtual cross-examination
Feature 2021-10-05 9:27 pm By Miklos Bolza

After more than a year-and-a-half of virtual trials, Australia’s barristers have adapted and come up with the best techniques to maintain an edge when cross-examining witnesses in the virtual courtroom.

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Slater & Gordon faces negligence suit by Manus Island security worker
Professional Negligence 2021-09-30 2:23 pm By Miklos Bolza

Slater & Gordon has been hit with a lawsuit filed by a former client who alleges the plaintiffs law firm’s conduct prevented him from suing the federal government for psychiatric injuries suffered at the Manus Island refugee processing centre.

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‘The writing seems to be on the wall’: Law firms actively considering no jab, no office policies
Business of Law 2021-09-29 10:03 pm By Bianca Hrovat

As Australia’s largest cities prepare to emerge from lockdown, law firms are doubling down on their efforts to vaccinate staff, with some going so far as to implement a ‘no jab, no office’ policy.

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Sparke Helmore’s security demand in $1M negligence case ‘excessive’, court told
Business of Law 2021-09-28 4:45 pm By Miklos Bolza

A property developer suing law firm Sparke Helmore in a $1 million negligence suit has resisted a bid for $215,000 in security for costs made weeks ahead of a four-day hearing in the matter, calling the sum “excessive”.

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