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Lawyers

The people cycle

26 July 2010 | Redundancies are so 2009 … Law firms are hiring again, and retaining talent is the newest buzz word, again. Corrs Chambers Westgarth human resources manager, Alexis Navie, writes.


Minters acts on Dulux and Orica demerger

16 July 2010 | Minter Ellison worked closely with the Dulux Group as the company embarked on a demerger with Orica.


Second merger in weeks for Macpherson + Kelley

9 July 2010 | Macpherson + Kelley has merged with a Tasmanian team of 80 in the latest of a string of major changes for the firm.


Lawyers weigh in on inquiry into human rights laws

9 July 2010 | A collective of Australian lawyers has confirmed it has lodged a submission for the ongoing inquiry into the human rights bill.


Aus lawyer launches iPhone app for profession

9 July 2010 | A legal cartoon drawing lawyer has launched an application for the iPad and iPhone.


Globetrotting lawyers

08:00 AM | Aussie lawyers are getting good lighting on the international stage, writes Peter Turner, the chief executive officer of the Australian Corporate Lawyers Association.


Clayton Utz hires from Freshfields

28 June 2010 | Clayton Utz has drawn from the ranks of global experts in the new hire of a new project finance partner from Freshfields.


World opens for pro bono lawyers

28 June 2010 | Lawyers will have better access to international pro bono work after the Attorney General today shored up the government's promises in this area.


Firm takes from competition in lawyer hires

25 June 2010 | Arnold Bloch Leibler has announced its mid-year appointments, which include one new partner and eight new senior associates.


India and Aus forge legal alliance

24 June 2010 | The Australian legal profession has forged an agreement with India that it hopes will strengthen legal professional cooperation between the two countries.


Law firm JWS opens another office

18 June 2010 | Johnson Winter & Slattery, the 45 partner law firm, has just opened a new office in Brisbane.


Lawyers face new rules in disputes

17 June 2010 | The country's first legal officer has clarified lawyers' responsibilities to help clients avoid court ahead of new dispute resolution laws.


Emergency lawyers needed for disaster relief: LIV

17 June 2010 | The peak body representing lawyers in Victoria says legal assistance needs to be incorporated into natural disaster emergency services.


Lawyers, judges, rank high on honours list

16 June 2010 | The legal profession was recognised in this week's Queen’s Birthday Honours List, with members of the judiciary and those committed to legal education taking the lead.


Middletons makes 14 new appointments

16 June 2010 | After a string of recent hires to its practice from the likes of Clayton Utz and Mallesons Stephen Jaques, law firm Middletons has now announced 14 new appointments.


Gilbert + Tobin ties knot with Perth firm

4 June 2010 | Sydney and Melbourne-based law firm Gilbert + Tobin has today announced it is siding up with a Perth-based law firm.


IPad 'reeks of hassle' for legal world

3 June 2010 | It's an unqualified triumph of design and engineering. Slim, elegant and light. But how useful will the iPad be for lawyers? 2 comments


Maurice Blackburn, Julian Burnside, charged with waste dump action

3 June 2010 | The Commonwealth Government and the Northern Land Council will face a Federal Court legal challenge over plans for a radioactive waste dump in the Northern Territory.


Discount lawyers available, but only for some clients

31 May 2010 | It may comes as no surprise to those law firm clients used to window shopping for the best deals that firms charge different rates for the same job. But a new report finds most firms also charge different rates depending on the client.


WA legal committee to back Aboriginal lawyers

31 May 2010 | A new lawyers committee aimed at encouraging and advancing Aboriginal lawyers and law students has been established for the first time in Western Australia.


A-G defends govt's legal spend tactics

28 May 2010 | The federal Attorney General has offered a retort to criticisms of the Government's handle on legal spend, saying things have improved and that legal spend will become more transparent, and more prudent.


Lawyers take cause to Nepal

26 May 2010 | A group of law students will climb the dizzying heights of legal extra curricular activities next summer as they travel to Nepal to help address problems with socio-economic development in the region.


Hall & Wilcox hires from Gadens

24 May 2010 | Hall & Wilcox, a commercial law firm, has hired two partners from rival firm Gadens Lawyers.


WA lawyers riled over threats to independence

21 May 2010 | The Law Society of Western Australia says the state's lawyers are facing a threat to their independence and exposure to higher costs.


Tresscox lifts construction law team from rival firm

19 May 2010 | Tresscox Lawyers has recruited a specialist construction law team from another law firm as part of a national expansion.


Lawyers listed on new justice website

17 May 2010 | A new website will provide links to lawyers operating in each state and will include relevant laws in a effort to help expedite dispute resolution.


Legal profession reform to open foreign doors

14 May 2010 | As the legal profession today started the massive task of assessing the consultation package about legal professional reform, the Law Council stuck its neck out about the apparent benefits to Australia's competitiveness in the global legal services market.


Melbourne firm acts on $31m Canon deal

14 May 2010 | Hall & Wilcox has advised Canon Australian on a $31 million deal.


Legal aid's $92m not enough: lawyers

12 May 2010 | The $92.3 million injection into legal aid still leaves a long way to go before funding is on track, according to a body representing Victorian lawyers.


Lawyers disappointed by sex reforms: too little too late

7 May 2010 | The Sex Discrimination minister applauded this week’s announcement by the federal government that would see a reform of the Sex Discrimination Act as a "good outcome". But the nation's lawyers are less impressed.


The Henry tax review: where have we come to?

7 May 2010 | The long awaited report of the Henry tax review and the Government's response to it was released last Sunday with much fanfare. Mallesons Stephen Jaques experts ask, what will change?


National regulation of lawyers close to reality

7 May 2010 | Australia's first legal officer says the wait is nearly over for a true national regulation for all lawyers.


Riding out the storm: In-house counsel and the GFC

30 April 2010 | The GFC storm has blown in a new understanding of in-house counsel. Peter Turner writes.


Govt gives in to protesting lawyers

28 April 2010 | Tarred and feathered and overwhelmed by picketing lawyers, the Victorian Government has given in to demands it boost legal aid in the 4 May budget.


'Greedy leftie lawyers' want an explanation

27 April 2010 | Victorian state lawyers have sent a scathing letter to the state's Premier in a reaction to his reported comments that "greedy leftie lawyers" are pushing a new corruption commission.


Future proofing the case

6 April 2010 | Counsel need to rediscover the art of proof gathering, Victorian barrister Maryanne Loughnan SC writes.


The Gen Y reshuffle

26 March 2010 | Gen Y: A highly mobile, ambitious and inventive group, or a bunch of overly-pampered brats? How a generation coped with the GFC, despite the (sometimes worst) intentions of the generation before it. Michael Bradley writes


Blakes, Mallesons, share Arrow deal

15 March 2010 | Energy company Arrow Energy has received a $3.3 billion joint takeover offer from Anglo-Dutch oil company Royal Dutch Shell and Chinese company PetroChina.


When the ticking clock stopped

15 March 2010 | The billable hour was set in its ways. So were clients, law firms, and the regulators. What happened? John Chisholm divulges what, and when, things ticked over for time-based billing.


Twelve angling (for) women

8 March 2010 | Glass ceilings, slippery ladders, boys' clubs and fraternities are finally being eradicated in an elite list of law firms, the government announced today.


Enter the dragon: How to work with Asia

5 March 2010 | Working successfully with Asia requires more than certain legal expertise. The relationship has to change, writes barrister William Lye


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.


Blakes thaws pay freeze rumours

2 March 2010 | Blake Dawson has rejected claims it won’t lift a pay freeze implemented in the depth of winter that was the global financial crisis


Lawyers called to task in royal legal saga

07:00 AM | If all the King's horses are not involved, all the King's legal men may as well be in a privacy legal dispute involving Kate Middleton, the girlfriend of Prince William.


Lawyers call Indigenous Australians to the law

15 February 2010 | A new policy statement released by the peak body representing Australian lawyers aims to highlight a commitment by Australian lawyers to address Indigenous disadvantage in the practice of law.


How to get a job in a law firm: Insiders tell all

15 February 2010 | Corrs Chambers Westgarth's national human resources manager sheds some light on the dark corners of law firm hiring and firing.


In-house dissatisfied with ADR results

4 February 2010 | As more companies turn to international arbitration, in-house lawyers are beginning to complaint that the process can be just as costly and time-consuming as litigation.


Lawyers applaud family law report

29 January 2010 | The peak body representing Australian lawyers has applauded the federal government's three newly released reports examining the operation of the family law system and law courts.


Time billing still preferred by firms

27 January 2010 | While firms were willing to drop their rates to accommodate flailing clients in the global financial crisis, only a small per cent changed their billing structures.


WA lawyers riled over stop and search laws

27 January 2010 | WA lawyers have expressed their consternation over the proposed extension of police powers and the inevitable consequences of changes to stop and search laws.


Jobs, the GFC, and the lawyers in the sandwich

25 January 2010 | Mimi Fong, managing director of recruiters Amicas Global, writes the first jobs and recruitment column for The New Lawyer. The big question to start the year in recruitment? How are lawyers coping as they are stuck between their jobs and the GFC?


New year, time to thrive

22 January 2010 | Surely lawyers would thrive if they worked in an environment that animated them with a genuine sense of purpose, which puts their needs as professionals at the centre of its vision, writes Nick James from Optim Legal.


Merger law changes stem controversy

19 January 2010 | Merger law is set for an overhaul and lawyers are gearing up for big changes in 2010.


2009: When firms dodged a bullet

18 January 2010 | Partner intakes slowed last year and some firm partner numbers decreased. But, generally speaking, most managing partners in Australia dodged a bullet in 2009, writes John Chisholm. 1 comment


LCA makes bid to tie up loose ends

18 January 2010 | The new head of the body representing the Australian legal profession has made a bid to tie up all the loose strings around reforms to the profession this year.


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.


Lawyers appointed to NAB, AXA deal

14 January 2010 | Allens Arthur Robinson is acting for National Australia Bank Limited on the proposed acquisition of AXA Asia Pacific Holdings (AXA APH).


Woodside deal represents change in capital raisings

16 December 2009 | Freehills is advising Woodside Petroleum on its announced $2.5 billion capital raising.


Brisbane firm hires ex Minters, Mallesons man

15 December 2009 | A Brisbane law firm has hired a former Mallesons Stephen Jaques and Minter Ellison lawyer on its commercial property team.


Lawyers advise on new OHS laws

14 December 2009 | New model laws will harmonise occupational health and safety in every state except Western Australia from 2012.


Questions raised over use of private practice lawyers in legal aid

11 December 2009 | Supplementing private practice lawyers with salaries lawyers could help rescue Australia's legal aid system from its impending demise, a new report suggests.


DLA Piper in Dubai to send lawyers, staff to Australia

9 December 2009 | DLA Piper has announced a new round of job cuts in the Middle East, with an undisclosed number of its lawyers and staff also now heading for Australia.


Victorian lawyers call for removal of 'rushed' bill

9 December 2009 | The peak body representing lawyers in Victoria has called on the state government to withdraw a "rushed" sex offenders bill, saying it falls short of the Charter of Human Rights.


Lawyers grapple with climate change advice

4 December 2009 | Lawyers are gearing up to advise clients on what Wednesday's demise of the emissions trading scheme in the Senate means for their businesses.


Lawyers engage on climate talks

3 December 2009 | Australian law firms are sending their climate change experts to Copenhagen next week - Freehills, Deacons and Norton Rose, and Minter Ellison included.


Law firms investing in arbitration

26 November 2009 | Australia is set to become a global leader in international arbitration after Attorney General Robert McClelland yesterday tabled legislative amendments in Parliament.


Judges to lose wigs

10 November 2009 | Western Australia’s Supreme and District Court judges will no longer wear wigs in court.


Australia to play host to leading legal minds

5 November 2009 | Top law officers from around the world will descend upon Australia for the Commonwealth Law Ministers Meeting in 2011.


New law firm targets Brisbane property market

3 November 2009 | A new legal force is opening up in the Brisbane property market.


Lawyers more popular than solicitors

3 November 2009 | Lawyers are twice as likely to be hunted than solicitors, a new survey reveals.


WA lawyers furious over legal aid

3 November 2009 | Lawyers in Western Australia have reacted to a new report revealing a decline in legal aid funding.


Barcelona trip leaves lawyers twittering

2 November 2009 | Which various tapas will Norton Rose lawyers be enjoying in Barcelona next week?


Law and order tops agenda in WA

28 October 2009 | A criminal law barrister has taken the helm at the peak body representing Western Australian lawyers.


Firms overspending on support staff

27 October 2009 | There is a worrying discrepancy between the current and optimal levels of law firms' support staff, a new survey has revealed.


Firms' hiring confidence back

22 October 2009 | Signs that the economy is on the road to recovery are filtering through to the legal market, with recruiters saying business is again pumping.


A-G's external legal spend revealed

21 October 2009 | External lawyers have been paid many million by the Attorney General's Department in the past year, a new report reveals.


Barristers hit with new experience requirement

19 October 2009 | Sole barristers will need a hefty additional two and a half years' experience from next year.


AWA boss in court today

19 October 2009 | Lawyers for former Australian Wheat Board boss Andrew Lindberg have accused ASIC of an abuse of process in the case of the oil for food scandal.


Legal specific job network launched

19 October 2009 | The legal profession will now have access to a newly launched dedicated jobs network on The New Lawyer site.


US questions value of Australian firms for Asia

8 October 2009 | The question of whether Australian law firms hold the key to Asia that firms such as Norton Rose and Clifford Chance thinks it does, has been raised in the United States.


Lawyers applaud human rights report

8 October 2009 | The peak body representing Australian lawyers has welcomed today's release of the National Human Rights Consultation report, which recommends the adoption of a Human Rights Act.


Firms unearth new $450m capital raising

30 September 2009 | Freehills and Mallesons have worked on rare earths explorer Lynas Corporation's newly unveiled plan for a heavily discounted $450 million capital raising.


Court closures rile regional lawyers

30 September 2009 | A string of court closures has angered regional lawyers, who say it will hinder access to justice.


Lawyers and clients meet online

30 September 2009 | A new video site will match lawyers with potential clients


Corrs kicks goal for teaching

29 September 2009 | Donning modified business suits, a bevy of Corrs lawyers and staff took to the football field in an effort to boost awareness of a student support program, backed by the firm.


Polanski's lawyers question validity of extradition

29 September 2009 | Roman Polanski's lawyers have vowed to fight his extradition from Switzerland 32 years after the film director committed statutory rape.


IP lawyer voted top woman in legal profession

29 September 2009 | An intellectual property lawyer has been named the top woman lawyer in New South Wales private practice.


Freehills, Allens build roadmap of new legislation

28 September 2009 | Two top-tier firms have advised the Victorian Government on its new transport legislation.


Top-tier firm denies lingerie allowance rumours

21 September 2009 | A major law firm has denied reports that things are going so well that lawyers will be given a $168 lingerie allowance. 2 comments


Migration lawyers targeted in regulations overhaul

18 September 2009 | The president of the peak body representing Australian lawyers today pointed to migration lawyers in an effort to highlight the need to push for a national regulation of the legal profession.


Mid tier competes

18 September 2009 | The mid tier is proving it can compete with the top tier, and that it's now better placed in some areas.


FWO reveals legal panel shake up

18 September 2009 | The Fair Work Ombudsman has announced its new legal services panels. Mid tier joins the top tier.


Legal profession regulation tops Perth talks

17 September 2009 | Top legal eagles are today weighing in on how to regulate the legal profession


ASIC issues warning to lawyers

15 September 2009 | ASIC has issued a warning to lawyers following a Supreme Court ruling.


Lawyers versus hospitals in string of negligence claims

15 September 2009 | A mid-tier law firm will represent more than 50 former patients of Queensland hospitals who are suing for negligence.


Dissatisfaction rife in large law: survey

11 September 2009 | A new survey has revealed just how unhappy lawyers working in the top tier are


Top-tier firm to sack 117 employees

11 September 2009 | A mega firm has entered into its fourth round of redundancies, putting 117 roles under threat.


Australian lawyers riled over Fiji lawlessness

9 September 2009 | The rule of law in Fiji is under threat after its interim president terminated a Court of Appeal ruling, the international body representing Australian barristers, judges and lawyers says.


Depression top of agenda for firms

7 September 2009 | Five major Australian firms are on the brink of announcing their own support services for young graduate staff and law students.


Letter to the Editor: In defense of law schools

31 August 2009 | Australian law schools, at least, are far from failing the profession, law lecturer Simon Rice says. 2 comments


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