This past week, a lawyer was charged over an alleged violent kidnapping, and for the first time, an Australian lawyer was sanctioned for AI use. Here is your weekly round-up of the biggest stories for Australia’s legal profession.
For the week from 8 to 12 September, these were the 10 most-read stories on Lawyers Weekly (in case you missed them):
1. First-ever Aussie lawyer sanctioned for AI use
A Victorian lawyer has made Australian legal history – for all the wrong reasons – becoming the first practitioner to face professional sanctions for using artificial intelligence in court.
2. Trainee lawyer bankrupts following dust-up with former workplace
A lawyer’s efforts to derail bankruptcy proceedings brought by his former workplace have fallen apart, including an attempt to have the court appoint local regulatory bodies to provide expert opinion.
3. $88k in salaries, office expenses stolen by firm’s bookkeeper
A bookkeeper has been permanently restrained from working in law firms after she was found guilty of stealing more than $88,000 from her former practice’s office and trust accounts.
4. ‘Dangerous, improper’: ACT Law Society criticised for dishonesty accusations
The ACT Law Society was slated for its handling of a disciplinary matter, with a tribunal finding some of its conduct before and during proceedings bordered on the improper and unconscionable.
5. High Court ruling marks historic win for severely injured workers
In a landmark ruling, the High Court of Australia has unanimously sided with a Queensland man devastated by negligent hospital care, creating far-reaching implications for Australians living with catastrophic injuries.
6. ‘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”.
7. SA solicitor loses judicial review into alleged practising certificate failures
A South Australian practitioner’s judicial review application into a disciplinary decision relating to fee conditions on his practising certificate has been tossed out by the Supreme Court.
8. Lawyer charged over alleged kidnapping following gangland shooting attack
A Sydney criminal lawyer who survived a near-fatal gangland shooting earlier this year has been charged over an alleged violent kidnapping.
9. NSW lawyers to be supported by new framework
Last week, the member body for practitioners in the nation’s largest state released a new framework that outlined the soft skills crucial for success in the law profession.
10. Hall & Wilcox appoints new workers’ compensation partner
BigLaw firm Hall & Wilcox has added workers’ compensation specialist Rosie Petrolo to its ranks.
