Oceania/Australia - Page 18
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.
Half of Australian firms have under-developed marketing capabilities
Some 47 per cent of business development and marketing capabilities in Australian and New Zealand law firms are 'under-developed', according to a survey by the Australasian Legal Practice Management Association (ALPMA).
Lawyers in Australia become more optimistic
Some 64 per cent of respondents to the Legal Market Update survey say they are somewhat or very positive about the future of the legal market.
Aviation lawyer sued by Shine over clients related to plane disasters
Shine Lawyers is suing an ex-employee on the grounds that he has taken six clients he was working with for the firm in relation to the MH17 and MH370 Malaysian Airlines disasters.
Boutiques and national firms go head to head for Australian work
Boutiques are starting to fight for the same work as national firms, positioning nationals as their major threat, according to Ted Dwyer of Dwyer Consulting.
Clayton Utz seeks Sydney home
The international firm has released a mandate describing its needs for space within a 'leading edge office building in the Sydney CBD'.
Poker machine operators could face legal action in Australia
Melbourne-based law firm Maurice Blackburn, working with a coalition of anti-gambling groups called Alliance for Gambling Reform, is preparing a case arguing that poker machine operators are engaging in deceptive and misleading conduct.
Women lawyers lag behind men by A$20k a year in South Australia
A report from the Law Society of South Australia shows that women are earning substantially less than men in the legal profession, but many women are working part-time and few have the years of experience that the long-serving men have.
HSF launches 'pop-up' review centre in Perth
International firm Herbert Smith Freehills has established a 'pop-up' document review centre in Perth, in order to provide round-the-clock support to clients.
Australian customers join class action against VW
Law firm Maurice Blackburn is preparing to launch a class action lawsuit against VW after it admitted that more than 90,000 cars in Australia are fitted with software that cheats on emissions.
M&A deals fall to surprise low in Australia, according to Herbert Smith
The number of deals hit an all-time low, confounding expectations based on a strong 2013-14, according to the seventh annual Herbert Smith Freehills Australian Public M&A Report.
Large firms accused of using law grads as slave labour in Australia
The Australian Law Students Association (ALSA) says that unpaid internships in large law firms have amounted to 'slave labour', highlighting one firm that planned to charge A$22,000 to graduates for a two-year work arrangement.
Wotton + Kearney prepares to launch in Perth
After a decade of working with Western Australia clients, insurance specialist Wotton & Kearney is to open an office in Perth.
Firms urged to take on Mandarin speakers to advise Chinese investors
A wave of sophisticated Chinese investment in Australia is creating a need for advice to be given by Mandarin speakers. But there is currently a gap in the market, according to one local firm.