Early morning queues, sneaky selfies and conspiracy theories were a constant in Erin Patterson’s murder trial. While it may have been more bizarre than the attention true crime fanatics usually paid to high-profile cases, it is not so out of the ordinary for criminal lawyers.
In recent years, there has been a proliferation of national practices snapping up smaller market players. In an uber-competitive and “very fragmented and diversified” legal services marketplace, and against the backdrop of voluminous economic and geopolitical change, Australia’s largest law firms are not just jostling for position, but responding to the shifting needs of clientele.
While the Australian legal profession is often regarded as a bastion of prestige, intellectual rigour, and tradition, beneath its polished veneer of tailored suits lies a largely invisible web of systemic advantages, leaving individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds struggling to keep pace.
Generational expectations are reshaping the legal landscape, with emerging lawyers no longer as interested in traditional career paths. As these lawyers continue to seek a life outside of billable hours, firms with a supportive, progressive, and cohesive culture are more likely to retract and retain junior staff.
Stable policy settings have made Australia the “Goldilocks jurisdiction” and created more demand than ever for its lawyers, a partner from the recently merged Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer shared.
The controversial legal battle between the Victorian Legal Services Board and the people behind Erudite Legal made its way onto Justice Michael Lee’s docket, who pressed the need for a final hearing to avoid spending more time on “interlocutory disputation”.
The consensus reaction to the Federal Court’s decision on the landmark climate change case put forward by Torres Strait Islander leaders has been immense “disappointment”.
Investing in artificial intelligence has “had a big impact” in redesigning award-winning NewLaw firm Sprintlaw’s delivery and operational model – but not by way of the “robots-replacing-lawyers” narrative.
Global law firm Dentons has hired a partner from a BigLaw rival to lead its national pro bono operations.
East coast-based firm McCullough Robertson has appointed a real estate partner from one of Australia’s largest law firms.
