Oceania/Australia - Page 20
McCullough Robertson ups the ante for banking and finance clients
The independent Australian firm has introduced fixed fees and made another top hire.
New members recruited for Hall & Wilcox insurance team
Business law firm Hall & Wilcox has hired an additional 37 team members, all coming from Sparke Helmore. They join a senior associate and five partners who moved to the firm in April.
Allens becomes first top-tier Aussie firm to launch start-up team
Allens Accelerate has been priced at a level to attract early-stage businesses - despite the fact that large, international firms would usually be seen as being too pricy for debutant entrepreneurs.
Domestic Aussie earnings fall 25pc in five years
The domestic work generated by Australian law firms has shrunk by a quarter since 2010, according to Nicky Lester, the co-head of Hogan Lovells in the country.
Lawyers fall innocent victim to organised crime, says Aussie government
Lawyers are being used by organised crime to hide and launder money - and often this happens without the legal practitioners being aware of the true purposes of their clients, according to a government report.
KPMG increases focus on corporate and property law practices
The Big Four accountancy firm is actively working to build up its employment, corporate and real estate legal services teams in Australia - rather than concentrating on tax, according to its head of tax controversy, Jeremy Geale.
Top Australian GCs set up group to influence parliament
The new group, GC100 - which includes half the top lawyers from the Australian Stock Exchange 100 - intends to lobby on a range of areas from data protection to corporate governance and practice management.
Energy sector cuts lawyers and relies on finance team for legal brief
Signs have emerged - in the energy hub of Perth - that straitened energy businesses have started to lay off lawyers and to rely on finance officers and others to liaise with external counsel over lawsuits and other matters.
Regulator pressure leads to more lawyer appointments in Australia
The Australian financial services regulator ASIC is becoming so short of resources that lawyers are starting to fill the breach by taking on official roles as compliance consultants to banks and other institutions.
Australia follows US in client auction service for lawyers
An auction service - in which lawyers can bid for work offered by potential clients - has been set up in Australia, following the example of four similar schemes in the US.
Four in ten Aussie firms plan to grow by recruitment in 2015/16
Most Australian law firms are planning to recruit in the next 12 months - but the majority of them will merely replace departing staff and a minority expect to recruit to increase their teams.
Minter Ellison strengthens Perth disputes team
The law firm has appointed a leading Western Australian disputes specialist to head up its Perth disputes group.
Managing partners question current business model
Students may need to develop more skills before they are taken on by law firms so that they are not seen as a cost burden by clients, according to managing partners in Australia who appear to be rethinking the law firm model.
Big Four accountants forced to defend legality of tax advice in Australia
Already under pressure in the UK and EU over the lawfulness of their tax advice, the top accountants are being questioned by an Australian Senate inquiry on tax avoidance - as part of government moves to close off loopholes for tax evasion.
Hogan Lovells recruits Allens duo to start Australia multinationals practice
A team of lawyers will be built up from July in Perth and Sydney when corporate finance specialist Tim Lester and banking and finance specialist Nicky Lester move to set up the Hogan Lovells presence in the country.
A third of Australian employers plan to grow legal team in Q2
Nearly one in three employers surveyed in Australia say they are imminently planning an increase in their in-house legal divisions - a reflection of the shift away from natural resources to professional services in the economy, says a recruiter.
Legal staff on flexible working offered less interesting projects
Some Australian law firms are actively discouraging staff to work part-time or flexibly by refusing to let them participate in the most challenging jobs, according to the head of industry body Victorian Women Lawyers.
Managing partners braced for state of flux in 2015
A survey of 34 managing partners in Australia has found that nearly two thirds predict 'a state of flux', while one in five say the predominant theme will be 'pressure from clients' and nine per cent say the market is 'too crowded'.
Inhouse lawyers reveal the drawbacks of role
In-house work can be 'miserable', depending on who you work for, and 'work/life balance' has given way to 'work/life integration', according to readers of Australian magazine Lawyers Weekly who have been giving details on the reality of life inhouse.
Pinsent Masons heads for Australia
UK-based law firm Pinsent Masons is to launch in Australia and has recruited a local team to lead the project.