More than a decade after the High Court ruled that third parties could finance legal proceedings in Australia, the court has issued another game changing decision that puts limits on what judges will do to help a litigation funder out. Here, Lawyerly gives you a quick guide to the key takeaways from Wednesday’s judgment.
Judges have no power to order all class action members to pay a proportion of a litigation funder’s commission out of their share of a settlement, the High Court has ruled in a landmark judgment that deals a huge defeat to litigation funders.
The close relationship between regulator action over corporate wrongdoing and private enforcement is an established and powerful means of recovering compensation for victims of corporate misconduct. Increased cooperation between regulators and litigants in class actions would remove a number of substantial barriers to private enforcement action, writes Slater and Gordon lawyer Caitlin Baker.
The High Court is poised this week to issue its judgment in a case challenging the validity of common fund orders in class actions, a ruling that could see litigation funding commission rates creep back up after hitting record lows.
IP boutique Griffith Hack will soon have around 80 practicing lawyers when it absorbs Australia’s oldest specialist intellectual property firm Watermark next year.
Qube has filed a misuse of market power case against the operator of the Port of Newcastle for allegedly forcing the logistics giant to pay for equipment it needs to provide dry bulk unloading services at the port.
The National Australia Bank and insurer MLC have agreed to pay $49.5 million to settle a class action over allegedly worthless credit card insurance.
Google’s promise to shield users’ health data after its planned $3 billion acquisition of fitness tech company Fitbit should be taken with a grain of salt, ACCC chairman Rod Sims said Tuesday.
Garmin has reached a settlement in a competition case brought by its former exclusive Australian distributor alleging the GPS technology giant misused its market power after the supplier refused to give up its five best customers.
A sizeable group of employment lawyers from K&L Gates has parted ways with the US legal giant to set up its own specialist shop, shaking up the market for employment law services in Australia.