Events

A judge that granted carriage of a Google ad tech class action to Maurice Blackburn and Phi Finney McDonald has reiterated concerns that such cooperative arrangements between firms could breach competition law.

The High Court has declined to weigh in on when a court should step in when the machinery governing the entitlement to payments in a contract breaks down, in a dispute between builder Glenvill and Amcor over asbestos remediation at an industrial site in the Melbourne suburb of Alphington.

Mining magnate Clive Palmer has accused his lawyer of longstanding, Sam Iskander, of stealing $30 million in legal fees from his mining company Mineralogy.

An appeals court has rejected a bid by NSW MP and convicted rapist Gareth Ward to block state parliament from expelling him until any appeals against his conviction are determined.

E-commerce merchandise importer New Aim is challenging the dismissal of its trade secrets case against a former employee, who gave the contact details of the company's suppliers to a competitor after jumping ship.

Victoria will continue to be a magnet for class actions after the High Court shot down solicitors' common fund orders as clashing with NSW law, but the door may still be open for garden state lawyers to try their luck in the Federal Court.

The High Court has unanimously found the Federal Court has no power to allow solicitors to take a cut of a settlement or judgment in a shareholder class action against Blue Sky, saying it would be contrary to rules against contingency fees in NSW. 

A former Cornwalls client has brought proceedings over a $486,000 legal bill, claiming the law firm failed to provide updated costs estimates and did not disclose counsel rates while acting in a tribunal matter against a builder. 

A judge has spiked Piper Alderman's class action alleging Google abuses its dominance in digital advertising, favouring a competing case run jointly by two other firms, despite suggesting such arrangements hinted at lawyers “passing the prize around”. 

An Aboriginal group joined to Regis Resources’ challenge to a decision concerning its McPhillamys gold mine has won an order capping its costs at $20,000, with a judge rejecting the gold producer's argument the order was unnecessary.