A local court magistrate overseeing the ANZ criminal cartel case has denied a bid by prosecutors to be given twice the length of time typically allotted to parties for case conference discussions, saying the sooner the proceedings can be transferred to the Federal Court the better.
Lawyer Alex Elliott, the son of the funder behind the Banksia Securities class action, has been ordered to give a “full, frank and honest” explanation of his role in an alleged fraudulent scheme to inflate legal fees in the case, and he risks his career if he’s not forthcoming.
The son of controversial funder and lawyer Mark Elliott has been joined to proceedings alleging the lawyers behind the Banksia Securities class action conspired to pocket excessive fees in the case, after a court heard there was a “litany” of evidence he was party to the alleged fraudulent scheme.
Disgraced senior counsel Norman O’Bryan and the son of deceased lawyer Mark Elliott are among the targets of a summons for $7 million in legal bills racked up in the fight over commission and costs in the Banksia Securities class action, a fight that has already claimed the career of O’Bryan and another barrister.
The solicitor on the record in a class action over the collapse of Banksia Securities has admitted that he never asked to see the fee slips of one of the barristers acting in the case, conceding that this was a âgross dereliction’ to his clients.
An independent costs consultant retained to assess the legal fees sought to be recouped from a settlement in a class action over the collapse of Banksia Securities has denied he was the âdogsbodyâ of funder Mark Elliott during a fiery cross examination at trial over the costs of the litigation.
A week after silk Norman OâBryan dropped his defence against allegations of misconduct in the running of a class action over the failure of Banksia Securities, his junior counsel, Michael Symons, has also conceded defeat, telling a court he too should be struck off the practitionersâ roll.Â
A judge has criticised a revised opt out notice in a class action against Suncorp over allegedly conflicted remuneration and again slammed the funder backing the case for sending a “disturbing” letter to group members contrived to achieve a commercial advantage.
Barrister Norman O’Bryan has accepted that he should be struck from the roll of legal practitioners after dropping his defence mid-trial against claims of professional misconduct as senior counsel for a class action financed by the late Mark Elliott, but the consequences for the once high-flying silk might not end there.
The High Court has awarded $27 million in unpaid commissions to a Nigerian entrepreneur tricked into terminating his contract with international bank note manufacturer Securency, reversing a Full Court judgment which slashed his award.