In a historic first, ACT Magistrate Louise Taylor has become the first Indigenous woman to be appointed to an Australian supreme court.
A lawyer accused of wrongfully using information obtained via subpoena in a family law case has been hit with a $2,000 fine by the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, after he chose to appeal a reprimand from the NSW Law Society.
A judge’s public criticism of a colleague for resigning her post before delivering a judgment reserved for three years was harsh, not fair. But the evident frustration that led to the rebuke reinforces the need for a judicial commission as an appropriate avenue to give vent to complaints, experts say.
ASIC has brought enforcement action against Vanguard Investments Australia, accusing the investment firm of misleading claims that its ethically conscious hedge fund screened securities for their environmental, social and good governance bona fides.
Despite a judge’s complaint that class action costs are generally “out of control”, the law firm that secured a $192.5 million settlement and earned about $25 million in fees in the Montara oil spill case has won approval for more fees — these ones incurred in a hearing to determine how the settlement spoils should be divided.
Uber and the applicants in class actions against the car service will head into mediation later this year, and only group members who sign up to join the cases will get a chance to share in the proceeds of any settlement that results from the talks.
Piper Alderman has strengthened its real estate team, appointing a former Holding Redlich partner to its Brisbane office.
A court has set aside former Federal Minister for Resources Keith Pitt’s decision to develop a nuclear waste facility in Napandee in South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula, saying a fair-minded observer may have perceived that Pitt was biased in selecting the site over two other proposed locations.
A judge has ruled insurer Vero can be added to a class action over allegedly combustible cladding, finding removal of the cladding could be considered “property damage” under the wording of an insurance contract with cladding manufacturer Fairview.
A senior public servant behind the Robodebt fiasco is one of the first heads to roll following the findings of a royal commission into the illegal debt recovery scheme devised by the previous federal government to claw back welfare overpayments.