Login
Class actions, AI and acquisitions: What’s hot in law this week (6-10 Feb)
From reflections on artificial intelligence to headline market moves by BigLaw firms, here is your weekly round-up of the biggest news stories for Australia’s legal profession.
Jerome Doraisamy
For the week from 6 February to 10 February, these were the 10 most-read stories on Lawyers Weekly (in case you missed them):
In its February interest rate decision — the first one for 2023 — the board of the Reserve Bank of Australia decided to increase the cash rate by 25 basis points, to 3.35 per cent.
Emerging BigLaw firm Bartier Perry has appointed four lateral partners from NSW-based mid-tier firm Coleman Greig, bringing the former’s partnership ranks to 37.
While there may still be some pay increases for legal professionals in 2023, salaries will almost certainly not continue to rise at the same pace as last year — with drops in pay also possible, say recruiters.
Being overly frustrated by one’s professional circumstances but still pushing through has been newly labelled as “resenteeism”. It’s something that almost certainly will be afflicting lawyers right now.
Within a candidate-short market, some firms are opting for increased sign-on and other bonus schemes for top lawyers, in what’s being called a loyalty tax. But how sustainable is it?
The Victorian Supreme Court ruled, late last week, against the state government’s application for a stay of proceedings in the hotel quarantine class action that has been brought on behalf of impacted businesses.
Two more class actions have been filed against The Star Entertainment Group, following allegations of inflated share prices and non-disclosure of systemic money laundering, links to organised crime, fraud and corruption.
Listed firm Australian Family Lawyers has signed deeds of variation with two boutique practices it has acquired, with those firms to be paid in cash rather than shares.
Health insurer Medibank is facing another legal claim, this time from one of the world’s biggest law firms, after a data breach late last year resulted in millions of customers’ data being leaked — and eventually released by hackers onto the dark web.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
You can email Jerome at:
