Combining extensive experience in commercial law with a keen pursuit of public interest cases, Marque Lawyers partner Kiera Peacock has her sights set on using the law for good.
US chemical company Quaker Chemical is seeking special leave from the High Court to appeal a Full Court judgment that found its patents for quickly detecting high pressure fluid injection injuries on site were not novel because the company had disclosed them in public prior to applying for registration with IP Australia.
The High Court has declined to hear a case that challenges the power of judges to make common fund orders at the close of litigation, a challenge the Federal Court had labelled “hypothetical”.
The chief judges of three of the country’s top courts say virtual hearings, including through the use of popular livestream technology, will be around long after the coronavirus pandemic ends.
The power to make common fund orders in class actions is a question before the High Court a second time, but the justices aren’t likely to quell the conflict simmering in the courts below, at least until they have a concrete order before them.
Law firm Thomson Geer has bolstered the ranks of its media team with the recruitment of News Corp senior litigation counsel Marlia Saunders to its Sydney office.
MinterEllison’s acting chief executive officer Virginia Briggs will officially take the reins of the law firm after temporarily replacing ousted CEO Annette Kimmitt.
Combatting “opportunistic” class actions is one of the main drivers behind proposed legislation to reform Australia’s continuous disclosure laws, but the federal treasury department has brushed off a Senate committee’s request for a list of cases apparently deserving of the derogatory tag.
A top intellectual property barrister who has worked on cutting-edge cases that raise novel questions about the patentability of inventions has been appointed to the Federal Court.
The ACCC has cleared Woolworths’ planned $552 million acquisition of a 65 per cent stake in wholesale food distributor PFD Food Services without the supermarket giant’s proposed undertaking to maintain independence between the company for three years.