Spring is here! This past week, a state’s chief justice advocated for an overhaul of PLT, and more time was granted to a firm and administrators in a high-profile class action. Here is your weekly round-up of the biggest stories for Australia’s legal profession.
For the week from 1 to 5 September, these were the 10 most-read stories on Lawyers Weekly (in case you missed them):
1. Lawyer cleared over 27-minute call with another lawyer’s client
A Brisbane solicitor has been cleared of misconduct after a Queensland tribunal ruled he did not overstep when he contacted a client already represented by another lawyer.
2. Law firm restrains former employee’s new lawyers
A boutique practice convinced a court to restrain the solicitors who were acting for one of its former employees on a confidentiality issue.
3. Lawyer wins right to retain over $91k in client funds
A dispute involving more than $91,000 in trust funds has concluded that a solicitor was entitled to retain the money under his general lien, despite repeated demands from his former client for its release.
4. Perth solicitor to face strike-off for ‘gross neglect’
The Supreme Court will decide whether to strike off a practitioner who strung his client along for two years with lies that he was attending hearings and by filing material that contained false representations.
5. ‘Wholly unacceptable’: Bell CJ demands radical overhaul of PLT
NSW’s top judge has renewed his blunt attack on the state of practical legal training, warning that the current system is failing aspiring lawyers, pricing many out of the profession, and is in urgent need of sweeping reform.
6. ‘Rude’ emails have no place in family law, tribunal says
In defending himself against an allegation that he sent an inappropriate and rude email to an opposing solicitor, a Queensland lawyer said it was not discourteous to respond “assertively” to an “arrogant bully”.
7. Law firm, administrators get more time in stolen wages class action
In deciding whether to extend the registration deadline in the Northern Territory stolen wages class action, the Federal Court’s Chief Justice considered how much more money would need to be paid to the law firm and administrators.
8. Penalty to come for Victorian solicitor guilty of professional misconduct
A Victorian sole practitioner is to be penalised for misconduct ranging from trust money breaches and fabrication of documents to having acted in conflict for a matter that concerned his own family.
9. ‘Pugnacious’: Judge critical of Erudite Legal’s conduct in bankruptcy matter
A Federal Court judge expressed frustration over the way those behind controversial firm Erudite Legal conducted themselves during bankruptcy proceedings, including shouting, aggressive body language, late appearances, and “bizarre submissions”.
10. Why the billable hour is under siege in Australia’s top law firms
For decades, the billable hour has stood as the cornerstone of legal practice – but a new report warns that it’s cracking under the weight of mounting pressures, from evolving client demands to the disruptive force of technology reshaping Australia’s legal market.
