Maurice Blackburn has dropped its investigation of a possible class action on behalf of owners of units in Sydney’s faulty Opal Tower, but Corrs Chambers Westgarth is still pursuing a potential case.
Law firms Maurice Blackburn and Phi Finney McDonald have stepped back from a proposed consolidation of their class actions against the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and want to run their own cases again, but now with “harmonised” pleadings.
Class action experts have come to the defence of boutique law firm Phi Finney McDonald as heavyweight Maurice Blackburn appeals a judge’s ruling to choose the “less experienced” firm to lead a shareholder class action against BHP Billiton.
A judge has taken Qantas to task over its defence in a Fair Work case brought by the Australian Licenced Aircraft Engineers Association union over alleged underpayments to LA-based mechanics, calling the document “extremely unhelpful”.
Maurice Blackburn has criticised a judge’s decision to award carriage of a massive shareholder class action against BHP over the fatal collapse of a dam at its Brazilian mine to “less experienced” firm Phi Finney McDonald, lodging what is now the second high-stakes challenge to a ruling permanently staying a competing class action.
A judge has signed off on a $16.4 million settlement of a class action against Cash Converters, but not before scrapping a clause he said tied the court’s hands by making the deal conditional on the appointment of Maurice Blackburn as scheme administrator.
Lawyerly spoke to ten class action experts on the release of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s highly anticipated report into the class action regime. While many of the ALRC’s proposals were expected — and welcomed as sensible — others were greeted with concern and skepticism. Here, we look at the most controversial of the 24 recommendations.
Law firms would be able to charge contingency fees and the corporate disclosure obligations would go under the microscope as part of a shake-up of the class action regime recommended by the Australian Law Reform Commission.
Responding to a judge’s criticism of the class action “beauty parade”, two rival law firms have come up with a plan to deal with their competing shareholder class actions against Brambles.
A judge has shot down a bid by Cash Converters to recuse himself from hearing arguments for a $16.4 million class action settlement, saying his advice while still a barrister to the law firm running the proceedings did not give rise to apprehended bias.