National law firm Mills Oakley has launched a new charity aimed at giving free legal advice to the Australian “missing middle” who earn too much to be eligible for Legal Aid services but who do not have enough income to hire a private lawyer.
While there was no shortage of pain and challenges for law firms as the coronavirus raged across the globe last year, a number of big firms also felt the sting of litigation from disgruntled clients, partners and employees.
Payouts in class actions in 2020 largely kept pace with the previous year despite the financial strain of the COVID-19 pandemic, with companies and other defendants paying more than $696 million to settle class actions last year.
The law firm behind a class action against German manufacturer 3A Composites over allegedly combustible cladding is seeking to add a new representative group member to cover the claims of owners of property with Alucobond panels.
A judge overseeing two class actions over allegedly flammable combustible cladding used in buildings throughout Australia says he will likely keep the trials separate to avoid a ‘behemoth’ hearing.
The states of Victoria and Queensland have joined two class actions over allegedly combustible cladding as group members, with the claims in the proceedings now exceeding $500 million.
The lead applicant in a class action against Bayer over allegedly defective Essure contraceptive devices will ask the court to discontinue its claims against two makers of the controversial medical implants.
The Australian maker of a trendy neoprene handbag sold at high-end retailers has lost a copyright lawsuit over alleged knockoffs, with a judge finding the tote was at most an “evolution in styling” and not a work of artistic craftsmanship with copyright protection.
Former Footy Show host John ‘Sam’ Newman and AFL veteran Donald Scott have filed a defamation suit against photographer Wayne Ludbey and several media companies over articles concerning comments they made about Ludbey’s historic 1993 photo of indigenous AFL footballer, Nicky Winmar, lifting his jersey and pointing to his chest.
Construction information service provider BCI Media Group has won its bid for preliminary discovery against property data analytics firm CoreLogic Australia, which is suspected of breaching copyright by gaining unauthorised access to BCI’s subscription platforms and data scraping for leads.