Victoria

The Chief Justice of the Victorian Supreme Court has called on the legal profession to provide more opportunities for junior counsel to hone their oral advocacy skills by make submissions or examining witnesses during hearings.

Quest Serviced Apartments is using unfair tactics to unlawfully terminate franchise agreements, according to a lawsuit by a franchisee that is fighting to keep its doors open after COVID-19 restrictions forced closures across the country.

A judge has made the “regrettable” call to postpone the trial in a case brought by  workers challenging the Victorian government’s COVID-19 health directions until after they expire, blaming the workers for creating a series of “fruitless” delays.

The Supreme Court of Victoria has appointed 16 barristers to silk, nine of whom are women, including two barristers who have worked on high-stakes class action litigation.

Maurice Blackburn is being sued by a factory worker who claims the law firm’s negligence in failing to file a lawsuit on time cost him the opportunity to recoup significant damages from his former employer for physical and psychological injuries sustained while on the job.

A class action investigation is underway on behalf of property holders and business owners in the Gippsland region who have allegedly been intimidated into selling their assets for the development of the $200 million Fingerboards mineral sands mine.

A group of 134 workers in healthcare, education and construction have argued a judge should grant them a temporary exemption from Victoria’s direction mandating essential employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 to work outside their homes.

A McDonald’s franchise has been hit with a lawsuit accusing it of deliberately withholding workers’ paid rest breaks and committing “horrifying” and “shameful” violations of the Fair Work Act, the seventh such lawsuit to be filed by the union representing fast food workers.

Thirteen Victorian silks have expressed “deep concern” over a bill proposed by the Andrews government giving the health minister power to make “pandemic orders”.

The criminal case brought by Victoria’s new employment watchdog against the NAB should take precedence over the bank’s case, which challenges the Wage Inspectorate’s interpretation of the Fair Work Act and has now dragged NSW into the fray, a court has heard.