A former administrative assistant at Piper Alderman who was not allowed to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic says she was terminated for taking parental leave and complaining about a special counsel’s “intimidating and aggressive behaviour”.
A prominent Australian cancer researcher is suing the University of Technology Sydney for $744,000, alleging she was unfairly sacked after taking multiple periods of leave due to a physical disability.
The coronavirus has forged changes in the legal profession that will outlast the pandemic itself, leading to greater flexibility and efficiencies in an industry steeped in tradition and notably slow to adopt new technologies, sources told Lawyerly.
As law firms and funders scramble to keep up with COVID-19’s impact on the legal landscape, some have gone above and beyond in creating new technological and service solutions for clients in these unprecedented times.
As states across Australia shut down non-essential services and close borders in the battle to control the spread of the coronavirus, companies are turning to their lawyers for guidance on everything from contracts to disclosure obligations, staff reductions to workplace health and safety issues. Lawyerly talked to practitioners to find out what was on the minds of their corporate clients.
An appeals court has reinstated charges of unsatisfactory professional conduct against the principal of a leading employment law firm, after the lawyer called opposing counsel at Lander & Rogers “fundamentally dishonest”.
The former general manager of compliance at the Law Institute of Victoria has taken the peak legal body to court, alleging she was dismissed in breach of the Fair Work Act after taking sick leave.
Employment law firm McDonald Murholme has lost an appeal in a case over $37,000 in unpaid bills for five months of radio advertisements on the Victorian Radio Network the firm said were ineffective.