Oceania/Australia - Page 17
Australia-listed Shine Lawyers halves earnings forecast
Shares in listed Australian personal injury law firm Shine Lawyers plummeted 75 per cent last week, after it confirmed that several of the cases used to form its earnings guidance may not ultimately succeed.
Australian legal chat room serves 1,000 clients in just four months
A free online legal advice platform launched in South Australia has taken off, providing legal advice to more than 1,000 users since October last year.
Ex-judges appointed to represent Australian journalists in secret data access hearings
Following the passage of Australia's controversial data retention laws, two former judges have been hand-picked by Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to represent journalists when the federal government seeks to access their personal data.
Melbourne lawyer accused of sexual harassment
A senior Melbourne lawyer is facing accusations that he sexually harassed a female colleague over seven months last year, allegedly sending her explicit photos and bombarding her with unwelcome, sexually explicit text messages.
Public broadcasts should support open access to justice, says Australian lawyer
Law Society of South Australia president David Caruso is looking to put a 'Gen-Y' spin on open justice, recommending that high-profile court cases should be filmed and broadcast to the public.
Banks appoint advisory firm to examine Slater & Gordon's books
National Australia Bank and Westpac, Slater & Gordon's lead financiers, have installed McGrathNicol as investigating accountants to make a forensic examination of the law firm's books.
Controversial Australian anti-gang laws used to bring charges for the first time
A new set of controversial anti-gang laws, described by some lawyers as 'guilt by way of means of association', have been evoked by South Australian police to bring charges against five men.
Clyde recruits five-partner insurance team in Australia
Clyde & Co is recruiting a team of five partners in Sydney from Lee & Lyons to boost its insurance team in Australia.
DLA and Norton Rose partnerships shrink in Australia
DLA Piper and Norton Rose Fulbright are two of the biggest international names to demonstrate a trend for reducing partner numbers in Australia in 2015, according to research from Beaton and Macquarie Bank.
High activity predicted for M&A legal sector next year
Mega deals and greater inflows of foreign capital are expected to be features of a strong M&A market in Australia in 2016, according to an analysis by Herbert Smith Freehills.
Law firms receive wave of work due to insurance sector M&A
Consolidation in the insurance sector is creating a surge in M&A work in the Australian legal market that has been rippling out from in-house lawyers to their legal advisers.
PwC legal arm makes aggressive push in Australian market
PwC has recruited a senior lawyer who was previously at Gilbert + Tobin with the aim of better understanding how law firms work, rather than simply acquiring legal practices and letting them develop at arm's length.
Australia - how law firms are adapting to the market
Not even three months into the beginning of this year, Australian insurance law firm Wotton + Kearney was warning about the hacking dangers facing the country's insurance sector.
Australian pension funds criticise compensation lawyers
The Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) is running an education campaign to encourage claimants not to engage a lawyer to make certain claims.
GCs start cutting out solicitors in direct barrister briefings in Australia
In-house legal teams who are under budget pressure are increasingly briefing their barristers directly, according to the Association of Corporate Counsel in Australia and Asia Pacific.
Telstra GC Carmel Mulhern scores top in-house honor at Australian awards
Last week's Australian In-House Lawyer Awards paid tribute to the strength of female talent in the Australian legal sector, with many of the night's top accolades going to women and Telstra general counsel Carmel Mulhern taking home the top prize.
Australian law firm invests in legal disrupter
Gilbert + Tobin is investing in LegalVision, the 40-strong organisation that offers online fixed fee legal services to Australian businesses.
Insurance clients encourage local firms to go national in Australia
Major clients are putting smaller law firms to go national, according to a partner in commercial practice Mills Oakley.
Minter Ellison wins out in patchy economic conditions
Australian firm Minter Ellison has increased its turnover by A$10m - successfully navigating 'current patchy market conditions', according to chief executive Tony Harrington.
Ashurst in first Shari'ah compliant real estate financing in Aus
Ashurst finance partner Jamie Ng has led a team that has completed the first Shari'ah compliant murabaha (a form of credit sale) in Australia.