Most Recent
Judge up for costs in false imprisonment case, but not for abandoned expert
Legal Ethics 2023-11-02 11:00 pm By Sam Matthews

A man awarded $300,000 after he was unlawfully imprisoned for contempt has won his legal costs from the judge who jailed him. But a court has rejected his bid to recoup the costs paid to a damages expert in his case, finding he gave her ā€œincomplete, inaccurate and unreliableā€ instructions.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Liberal powerbroker Marcus Bastiaan sues law firm over $400,000 defamation bill
Business of Law 2023-10-31 4:59 pm By Cindy Cameronne

Marcus Bastiaan has sued solicitors who acted in his settled defamation case against Nine over branch stacking allegations, claiming the legal bill was ā€œgrossly disproportionateā€ and almost double his settlement.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Retrial means new trial in trade secrets case, judge says in parsing ‘ambiguous’ Full Court order
Intellectual Property 2023-10-30 11:16 pm By Sam Matthews

Construing an ā€œambiguousā€ order from the Full Federal Court, a judge has ordered a fresh trial in a trade secrets case that touched on the permissible scope of law firmsā€™ involvement in drafting expert reports.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Barristers better than consulting firms for government work, inquiry told
Business of Law 2023-10-19 3:26 pm By Christine Caulfield

Government should shift away from using large professional services firms for advisory work and retain barristers to help avoid conflicts, increase accountability and ensure value for money, the Victorian Bar has told an inquiry.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Legal watchdog not barred from pursuing second complaint against solicitor
Legal Ethics 2023-10-16 7:23 pm By Sam Matthews

The ACT legal watchdog was not barred from investigating a second complaint of misconduct against a Canberra solicitor after an initial complaint was dismissed, a judge has found.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Court can order solicitor to return fees for ‘exorbitant overcharging’
Legal Ethics 2023-10-13 4:18 pm By Cindy Cameronne

A court made valid orders for a Queensland solicitor to pay back $251,255 to the relative of a former client, an appeals court has found, saying that ā€œexorbitant charging debases the reputation of the legal professionā€.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Lawyers already tackling money laundering risks, new report shows
Politics 2023-10-09 5:04 pm By Sam Matthews

A new report shows lawyers are already managing the risks of unknowingly facilitating money laundering and don’t need to be subjected to ā€œan extreme, disproportional and potentially damaging AML/CTF regimeā€, according to the Law Council of Australia.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Investigator loses appeal of $350K judgment in ex-barrister’s defamation case
Defamation 2023-10-06 11:06 pm By Cat Fredenburgh

An investigator has failed in his appeal of a $350,000 defamation award for former Perth barrister Lloyd Rayney on the grounds of apprehended bias.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Solicitor closed law firm to dodge barrister’s fees, tribunal hears
Legal Ethics 2023-10-05 11:52 pm By Christine Caulfield

A solicitor has been found guilty of professional misconduct for shuttering his law practice to avoid paying a barrister’s $137,000 bill and for repeatedly failing to respond to the legal watchdog’s subsequent requests for information.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?

Law firm blocked from acting in case against land developer Tina Bazzo
Legal Ethics 2023-09-25 12:10 pm By Sam Matthews

A judge has restrained a Perth law firm from acting in a case against developer Tina Bazzo and her husband, finding an information barrier protocol was not enough to offset concerns about the firm’s prior representation of Bazzo in another dispute.

Subscribe to Lawyerly to access this article.

Already a subscriber?

Lost your password?