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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.

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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 “exorbitant charging debases the reputation of the legal profession”.

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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 “an extreme, disproportional and potentially damaging AML/CTF regime”, according to the Law Council of Australia.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Judge’s service with silk on chambers’ board gave rise to appearance of bias: court
Legal Ethics 2023-09-22 4:14 pm By Cindy Cameronne

An appeals court has set aside findings of professional misconduct against a Perth solicitor who allegedly failed to pay a silk $23,000 in fees after finding a tribunal member had served on a chambers’ board with the senior barrister for eight years. 

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The Kid Laroi loses bid to disqualify manager’s solicitors
Entertainment 2023-09-11 6:47 pm By Cindy Cameronne

Australian singer The Kid Laroi has failed to restrain solicitors who acted for his benefit in negotiating a record deal from representing his former manager in a contractual dispute, with a judge rejecting arguments the lawyers could be seen as “switching sides”. 

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Lawyer who sought to frustrate investigation not fit to practice, court says
Legal Ethics 2023-09-11 11:43 pm By Sam Matthews

A solicitor who sought to frustrate a legal complaint body’s investigation into correspondence sent on his firm’s letterhead is not fit to practice, a state tribunal has found.

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Court awards $300,000 for wrongful imprisonment by family law judge
Legal Ethics 2023-08-30 12:34 pm By Sam Matthews

A Queensland man has prevailed in his case alleging Federal Circuit and Family Court Judge Salvatore Vasta unlawfully imprisoned him for contempt after he failed to comply with an order for particulars, winning over $300,000 in damages.

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