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General Counsel

Dispute resolution to open flow of work for lawyers

5 March 2010 | There is money being made, and until now Australian lawyers haven’t had their share. But a new dispute resolution centre in Sydney is set to open the floodgates.


Freehills keeps foot in property door

1 March 2010 | Freehills has been appointed to a $806 million entitlements offer by Lend Lease, the most recent of several deals with the client.


In-house experience a bonus in private practice

19 February 2010 | Slipping between in-house and law firm practice roles would appear to be increasingly easy if Antra Hood's experience is anything to go by.


Levi's tightens belt on legal spend

18 February 2010 | Skinny jeans are one thing, but a skinny legal team? That's exactly what Levi Strauss is hoping for.


Committed to contract in-house

18 February 2010 | Lawyers who can turn up, work for short bursts and save the day are being called upon as in-house legal budgets remain tight. Are contract lawyers the in-house super heroes of our times? Kate Gibbs reports


Arbitration: To play or not to play?

18 February 2010 | Following The New Lawyer's report about the loss of faith in arbitration in the United States, and Australian general counsel gives his views. David Fairlie, general counsel, writes a letter to the Editor.


Is greenhouse the new asbestos for counsel?

28 January 2010 | Companies are facing a flood of litigation over claims their emission of greenhouse gases have contributed to global warming.


Another bite taken out of Apple's in-house team

25 January 2010 | Apple's top corporate lawyer, Charles Charnas, has left the company in yet another legal loss for the company.


End of time billing falls to general counsel

14 January 2010 | It's been months, and in some cases years, in discussion, but the end of time-based billing may finally come to the legal profession in 2010, experts predict.


Microsoft out of the frying pan

14 January 2010 | In-house lawyers at Microsoft are making sighs of relief after the European regulators dropped their antitrust case against the software giant.


General counsel prepare for regulation onslaught in 2010

17 December 2009 | A spate of regulation on top of the various legal ramifications of the global financial crisis will keep in-house counsel busy next year, according to leading general counsel.


Intel general counsel tests bandwidth in new role

17 December 2009 | Intel Corporation's brand new general counsel Douglas Melamed has entered a company under fire from claims of illegal tactics.


UBS to drop action against general counsel

17 December 2009 | UBS has announced it will not take legal action against former general counsel Peter Kurer and its former chairman Marcel Ospel.


M&A work to increase as corporates recover

10 December 2009 | Australian law firms are hoping for a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions next year as Australian companies emerging from the financial crisis step up acquisitions.


In-house counsel force costs down

10:00 AM | Clients are resorting to "draconian" measures in order to bring down costs, they now admit.


Apple takes big bite out of Intel

17 September 2009 | Tech giant Apple has appointed former Intel Corporation general counsel, Bruce Sewell, as general counsel.


Former Minters partner takes top in-house role

25 August 2009 | A former Minter Ellison partner has been appointed to the role of Mirvac general counsel and company secretary.


In-house needs reality check on value

20 August 2009 | General counsel need to take the lead on reducing costs, experts claim


Private practice lawyers steal in-house jobs

24 July 2009 | Private practice lawyers' ability to read law-firm language, know where the "fat" is, and manage law firm lawyers is making them an invaluable resource for in-house teams.


Legal rankings under scrutiny

23 July 2009 | How legal eagles rank against their peers is the cause of much furor in the legal world. But also, the reports that rank, measure and rate them are also under considerable scrutiny.


Mid-tier confidence a strategic dead end

23 July 2009 | The perception that mega law firms are under threat from their mid-tier counterparts may prove to be wrong. Ted Dwyer, from law firm consultancy Dwyer Heath, writes. 2 comments


General counsel cut size of legal panels

03:15 PM | In-house legal teams are cutting law firm panel numbers to save themselves time and make sure their external counsel are paying attention.


Clients tired of law firm e-alerts

26 May 2009 | General counsel are tiring of the onslaught of law firm e-alerts, email legal updates and newsletters being sent to them by law firms touting for work and good will.


Telstra lawyer on social behaviour memo

07:00 AM | COMPANIES with employees using social networking sites like Twitter should consider enforcing a memo on behaviour like Telstra has, according to the telecommunication giant's general counsel, Will Irving.


Litigation risk as lawyers battle depression, sue firms

3 April 2009 | FIRMS face the risk of litigation and negligence action as the economic climate sees an increasing number of lawyers with high anxiety and depression, a workplace general counsel has warned. 3 comments


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