Legal Ethics

A former barrister has continued to practice in local courts without a valid practising certificate, in “very serious” criminal contempt of a court-ordered injunction, the NSW Bar Association has told a court.

A PwC partner who the ATO claims was assigned to work on a matter for meat processing company JBS to bring a “cloak of legal privilege” kept a supporting role on the brief despite the company CFO’s dissatisfaction, a court has heard.

Accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers used one of its legally qualified partners as a “postbox” to provide a “cloak of privilege” to work conducted for meat processing company JBS, the Commissioner of Taxation has told the Federal Court.

An appeals court has upheld a ruling that Sydney law firm Atanaskovic Hartnell was not entitled to the bulk of $165,000 in legal fees charged to two media company clients defrauded by jailed former solicitor Brody Clarke, calling the firm’s attempt to renege on its undertakings “dishonourable”.

The Australian Bar Association has criticised “flawed” methodology used to analyse the competency of judges, weighing in on controversy over the Australian Law Reform Commission’s handling of a submission to its judicial impartiality inquiry.

A Melbourne lawyer, who formerly represented gangland figures, has been reprimanded and fined $9,000, after a court found he recklessly misled the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner regarding his involvement in a de-facto relationship matter in which unsatisfactory professional conduct was allege

A solicitor who admitted to allegations of professional misconduct has lost a NSW Court of Appeal bid for the costs of a NCAT proceeding to be paid from the state’s Public Purpose Fund, despite twice winning appeals of the tribunal’s findings.

Food and beverage manufacturer Freedom Foods will call its CEO and ex-group chairman to the stand in a case filed by the firm’s former group general counsel, who has dropped her lawyer and is now self-represented.

A suspended Sydney lawyer, who was struck off the roll of practioners for over charging an elderly client with dementia, has been ordered to return more than $400,000 in unauthorised wages, withheld client fees, Bartercard points and “secret profit” to the estate of his former partner. 

A friend of Christian Porter’s accuser has lodged complaints with the NSW legal watchdog against silk Sue Chrysanthou and Porter’s solicitor, Rebekah Giles, for their conduct in representing the former Attorney-General in his defamation case against the ABC.