The Law Council of Australia has come out against proposed Victorian legislation that would allow lawyers to charge contingency fees, saying lifting the current ban would compromise solicitors’ ethical duties to their clients.
Three Sydney-based law firms are now facing claims by Australian-Chinese investors seeking over $6 million in damages for allegedly negligent advice provided about investment properties developed by the now collapsed Ralan Group.
A court has ordered the lead applicant in a $129 million underpayment class action against Merivale to fill gaps in his case, after the hospitality giant complained there was insufficient information as to how the employee’s claims related to other workers.
Victorian Attorney-General Jill Hennessy is “cautiously confident” that her bill allowing lawyers in the state to charge contingency fees will pass as early as next week, but the class action reform couldn’t come soon enough, she says.
A class action seeking almost $2 million in damages has been launched on behalf of Australian-Chinese investors against a Sydney law firm over advice on investment properties sold by the now collapsed developer Ralan Group.
The Federal Government will pay $212.5 million to settle three class actions over the use of allegedly toxic firefighting foam at government military bases.
With the common fund order tossed in a class action against two IAG entities over allegedly worthless add-on insurance, a Federal Court judge on Tuesday was asked to grapple with a practice note in determining when to notify group members of a possible order to “equitably and fairly” distribute the legal costs and funding commission in the proceedings.
Livestock exporter Wellard is facing a shareholder class action over a profit downgrade following its $300 million initial public offering in 2015.
International passengers from five countries have been given the go-ahead to join a class action alleging travel agency Scenic Tours owes damages to European cruise passengers forced to take buses when heavy rain flooded waterways to include.
A judge has ordered Johnson & Johnson to include a graphic warning on the patient information leaflets and instructions for use that accompany four of its pelvic mesh products, following a class action over the devices which saw the three lead applicants awarded $2.6 million in damages.