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Settling plaintiffs get first dibs on Parkerville bushfire defendant’s assets
The first-past-the-post principle applies to enforcement of settlements in collective actions over a 2014 bushfire in Western Australia, a judge has held, in a ruling that could have ramifications for all class actions.
Arnold Bloch Leibler wins access to Quindell due diligence docs
Arnold Bloch Leibler has been granted access to due diligence docs related to Slater and Gordon's $1.2 billion acquisition of professional services firm Quindell, to use in its defence of a class action over advice it gave on the troubled acquisition.
Top silk ‘joked’ with class action lawyer Mark Elliott about misleading fee expert, court told
A prominent silk deliberately misled a cost consultant retained to provide an opinion on the barrister's fees to a court overseeing a class action over the collapse of Banksia Securities, then joked about it with lawyer and litigation funder Mark Elliott, a judge has been told.
Judge rejects funder’s bid to send Banksia class action fee dispute to mediation
The funder behind the Banksia Securities class action has failed in a bid to have an outstanding case over legal fees and its commission sent to mediation, with a judge saying the issues for trial involve allegations against lawyers of serious misconduct not appropriate for closed-door negotiations.
Media monitor Isentia loses bid to lower interim copyright fees
The Copyright Tribunal has dismissed an application by media monitoring firm Isentia to lower per-clip rates payable to collecting house Copyright Agency, rejecting arguments the higher fees had led to a loss of customers.
Class mulls options for talking to jailed Crown employees after appeals court defeat
The lead applicant in a shareholder class action against Crown Resorts is considering alternative options for examining 18 former jailed employees after an appeals court found communication with the employees was impermissible given confidentiality agreements they had with Crown.
Aurora Funds loses challenge to ruling over soured Molopo Energy takeover
A court has upheld two decisions by the Australian Government Takeovers Panel that a bid by asset manager Aurora Funds Management to replace Molopo Energy's directors was made in "unacceptable circumstances".
Legitimacy of barristers’ $2.65M Banksia class action bill in question, court told
Two barristers facing professional misconduct allegations in relation to the Banksia securities class action submitted more than $2.65 million in legal bills without documentation more than five years after the class action was filed and may have done so at the behest of funder Mark Elliott, a court has heard.
Judge calls for legislative fix in wake of High Court’s common fund ruling
Lamenting that he now has less flexibility to manage commission rates, a judge has called for legislative intervention to give courts authority to regulate funding arrangements at the outset of class actions, a power stripped from them by the High Court late last year.
Top-tier firms say slashing salaries not on the cards yet
With the legal industry looking for ways to "share the pain" among staff amid a potential slowdown in work due to the coronavirus, several top-tier firms told Lawyerly they had no immediate plans to slash salaries or reduce staff hours.