http://www.abajournal.com/news/ en Copyright 2013 2013-05-21T13:05:59-06:00 http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/australias_publicly_traded_slater_gordon_raising_64m_to_buy_more_uk_persona/ In its continuing drive to dominate the global personal injury and consumer legal market, Slater & Gordon is raising $63.9 million to expand its British personal injury practice. The plaintiff megafirm has struck deals to buy three United Kingdom law firms at a total cost of about $35 million, according… Consumer Law, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Tort Law, International, Australia Tue, 07 May 2013 13:15:31 -0500 44071.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/report_ashurst_australia_is_making_secret_plans_to_ax_or_demote_20_to_50_of/ Relying on unidentified sources, an Australian business publication says the Australian arm of Ashurst is secretly planning to cull between 20 and 50 of its 189 partners in order to meet financial projections and complete its planned merger with the United Kingdom-based law firm of the same name. Doing business… Careers, Layoffs, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, International, Australia, Europe, United Kingdom Thu, 31 Jan 2013 17:39:44 -0600 42642.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/aussie_court_upholds_workers_comp_for_woman_injured_during_hotel_tryst_on_b/ An Australian court has upheld a judge’s decision that a woman injured during hotel sex on a business trip is entitled to workers compensation. The Full Bench of the Federal Court ruled last Thursday on behalf of the woman, a government employee, report the Labor & Employment, Trials & Litigation, International, Australia Tue, 18 Dec 2012 09:41:03 -0600 42086.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/squire_sanders_to_open_an_office_in_sydney_australia/ Squire Sanders has announced that it will open an office in Sydney on Nov. 1. The news of the firm's latest growth in the Asia-Pacific region follows announcements earlier this month that it had opened another office in Seoul, Korea, and had Business of Law, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, International, Asia, Australia Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:20:37 -0500 41190.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_Accept_australian_lawyers_argum_that_he_forgot_stealing_two_paintings/ A Sydney lawyer who stole two valuable paintings while dining in an art gallery restaurant has persuaded a judge that he doesn't remember committing the crime. Michael Gerald Sullivan, 54, claimed to be suffering from a form of amnesia that caused him to take on the identity of an art… Criminal Justice, Sentencing/Post Conviction, Judiciary, Legal Ethics, International, Australia Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:53:30 -0500 40309.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/kl_gates_in_merger_talks_with_australian_firm_middletons/ K&L Gates confirmed Thursday that it is in merger talks with the 200-lawyer Australian firm Middletons. In a joint statement published Thursday by the Am Law Daily, K&L Gates chair Peter Kalis and Middletons national managing partner Nick Nichola said, "Our leadership teams believe that the… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Law Firms, Large Firm, Mergers & Acquisitions, International, Asia, Australia Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:38:55 -0500 40308.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-cfo_at_major_law_firm_gets_10.5_years_in_2.6m_theft_case/ A former chief financial officer at a top-tier Australian law firm has been sentenced to a prison term of ten and a half years after admittedly stealing nearly 2.7 million (about $2.6 million in U.S. dollars) from Minter Ellison between 2004 and 2011. Craig Raneberg, who served as CFO of… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, International Law, Law Firms, International, Australia Thu, 26 Jul 2012 12:46:55 -0500 39900.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/herbert_smith_and_freehills_ok_megamerger_2800-attorney_firm_plans_to_open_/ Partners of London-based Herbert Smith and Australia's Freehills have agreed to merge on Oct. 1. The 2,800-attorney merged firm will open a New York office this year, as well as in Africa and Seoul, reports Bloomberg. An office in Germany is planned next year. The Australian… Business of Law, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, International, Australia, Europe, United Kingdom, States, New York Thu, 28 Jun 2012 10:31:54 -0500 39487.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/coroner_blames_dingo_for_babys_disappearance_32_years_ago/ A coroner has sided with an Australian couple who long maintained that their baby was snatched and killed by a dingo. The coroner ruled Tuesday in a fourth inquest, finding that a wild dog known as a dingo carried the 9-week-old girl way from the tent at the family’s campsite… Criminal Justice, International, Australia Tue, 12 Jun 2012 08:46:57 -0500 39191.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_lawyer_not_unjustifiably_abused_belittled_humiliated_threatened/ Describing a "regrettable" email exchange between two Melbourne law firm colleagues and friends as "a classic storm in a teacup," an Australian judge has nixed a seven-figure damages claim by a former partner who said she was undermined, humiliated and harassed after she went on maternity leave. Partner Fiona Brown,… Labor & Employment, Law Firms, Midsize Firm, Partners, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, International Courts/Tribunals, International, Australia Fri, 18 May 2012 16:05:51 -0500 38879.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/uk_megafirm_linklaters_forms_alliance_with_australias_allens_arthur_robinso/ A United Kingdom megafirm has joined forces with Australia's Allens Arthur Robinson, agreeing to form an alliance and engage in joint ventures in Asia. However, the team effort with London-based Linklaters is not expected to involve a formal merger, according to the Australian (sub. req.) and International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, International, Australia, Europe, United Kingdom Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:56:00 -0500 38441.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/judge_awards_workers_comp_to_aussie_woman_injured_on_business_trip_during_h/ An Australian judge has ruled that a woman injured while having hotel sex on a business trip is entitled to workers compensation. The woman, a government employee, was injured in 2007 when a wall-mounted light fell on her during the sexual encounter with an acquaintance, report the Labor & Employment, International, Australia Thu, 19 Apr 2012 07:29:06 -0500 38383.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/4th_inquest_starts_re_1980_baby_death_in_australia_meryl_streep_movie_told_/ It now appears that Lindy Chamberlain was speaking the truth when she told authorities in 1980 that her 9-week-old baby had been taken, and presumably killed, by a wild Australian dog as her family was on a camping trip in the country's outback. But at the time she was suspected… Criminal Justice, International Law, Law in Popular Culture, Legal History, Trials & Litigation, International Courts/Tribunals, International, Australia Fri, 24 Feb 2012 16:20:15 -0600 37505.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/herbert_smith_is_talking_about_possible_megamerger_with_australias_freehill/ Herbert Smith, a venerable London-based firm with over 1,000 lawyers, is in preliminary talks with Australia's Freehills concerning a possible megamerger. If the two firms decide to combine, they would not only have an attorney roster of 2,000 lawyers or more but would have a… International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, International, Australia, Europe, United Kingdom Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:03:26 -0600 37197.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/australias_slater_gordon_snaps_up_uk_personal_injury_firm_russell_jones_wal/ Slater & Gordon, the world's first publicly traded law firm is poised to grow again after agreeing to pay 53.8 million pounds (about $84 million in U.S. dollars) for a United Kingdom law firm that also specializes in personal injury work. The acquisition of Russell Jones & Walker is authorized… International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Midsize Firm, Legislation & Lobbying, International, Australia, Europe, United Kingdom Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:55:40 -0600 37098.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/partners_of_australias_mallesons_ok_game-changing_combination_with_chinas_l/ Partners of one of Australia's top law firms voted today to approve a merger-like combination with the biggest law firm in China. Partners of King & Wood are expected to vote tomorrow on the potential tie-up with 170-partner Mallesons Stephen Jaques, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, International, Asia, China, Australia Wed, 23 Nov 2011 15:05:29 -0600 36158.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/the_new_world_despite_globalization_lawyers_find_new_barriers_to_practicing/ Bar Associations, ABA, Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Diversity, Outsourcing, International Law, Labor & Employment, Law Firms, Large Firm, Legal Ethics, International, Asia, China, India, Australia, Europe, United Kingdom, North America, Canada, South America, Features Tue, 01 Nov 2011 05:19:28 -0500 35399.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/uk_consumers_could_buy_legal_services_with_bread_milk_and_eggs_as_soon_as_j/ A much-anticipated new law that will revolutionize the provision of legal services to consumers in the United Kingdom and allow non-attorneys to invest in and help run "alternative business structures" expected to operate much like law firms takes effect this month. But it will still be a while before the… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Consumer Law, Corporate Law, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Trials & Litigation, International, Australia, Europe, United Kingdom Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:52:32 -0500 35335.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/jailed_ex-cfo_stole_nearly_2.7m_from_top_law_firm_over_10_years_australian_/ The former chief financial officer at the Adelaide office of a top Australian firm made off with nearly 2.7 million dollars of his colleagues' money over a 10-year period before he was terminated in June, a prosecutor told the Adelaide Magistrates Court today. A routine government tax inquiry drew Minter… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, Criminal Justice, White Collar Crime, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, International Courts/Tribunals, International, Australia Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:10:28 -0500 35332.abajournal.com http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/ex-cfo_of_top_australian_law_firm_is_arrested_accused_of_stealing_from_part/ The former chief financial officer of a top Australian law firm was held without bail as a flight risk on charges that he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Minter Ellison and/or its partners. Federal police arrested Craig Raneberg, 38, at the Sydney airport after he… Business of Law, Law Practice Management, International Law, Law Firms, Large Firm, Partners, Tort Law, Trials & Litigation, Verdicts & Settlements, International Courts/Tribunals, International, Australia Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:32:15 -0500 35314.abajournal.com