This past week, two BigLaw firms took teams from rivals, Victoria named nearly two dozen new senior counsel, and multiple disciplinary orders were handed down. Here is your weekly round-up of the biggest stories for Australia’s legal profession.
For the week from 27 to 31 October, these were the 10 most-read stories on Lawyers Weekly (in case you missed them):
1. Strike-off for lawyer who faked court orders, stole from client
A disgraced lawyer was struck off for a number of jaw-dropping offences, including stealing tens of thousands of dollars from an elderly client and forging family court orders to fool her ex.
2. Qld lawyer’s urine test failure leads to reprimand, fine
However, for the tribunal’s key findings on honesty, a Queensland lawyer could have been kicked out of the profession over his failure to comply with a written undertaking relating to regular urine testing.
3. 21 senior counsel appointed in Victoria
Chief Justice Richard Niall and the Victorian Bar have announced the appointments of 21 new senior counsel.
4. Sparke Helmore takes partner and legal team from HWL Ebsworth
National law firm Sparke Helmore has appointed a partner to its specialty lines insurance team, bringing with her a team of two lawyers from rival firm HWL Ebsworth.
5. ‘A gendered battlefield’: ADF hit with class action alleging sexual violence, physical abuse, rape
Women in the Australian Defence Force (ADF) have filed proceedings against the Commonwealth, alleging widespread, systemic sexual violence, sexual harassment, physical abuse, rape, discrimination, and victimisation in the course of their employment.
6. Beyond the grades: The surprising skills law firms value most in graduates
Law firms are no longer just chasing students with top marks, with a College of Law lecturer revealing the key skills and traits that make graduates stand out when hiring their next cohort of lawyers.
7. Lawyer wins $23k payout in dispute over client funds
Just months after winning the right to keep $91,000 in client funds, a lawyer has now been cleared to transfer more than $23,000 from his trust account to himself.
8. Reprimand upgraded to strike-off for lawyer who stole from client
The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal was wrong to only impose a public reprimand on a solicitor whose $10,000 theft from a client justified a far harsher penalty, an appeal court has found.
9. Reprimand over lawyer’s ‘dishonest’ bills to legal aid
A Perth lawyer accepted a reprimand for making false and misleading representations to secure more legal aid funding than he was owed.
10. DLA Piper adds 3 tax partners, team of 5 from Clayton Utz
Global law firm DLA Piper has strengthened its tax ranks, welcoming a trio of partners and a team of five practitioners from BigLaw rival Clayton Utz.
