Australia

Aussie Lawyer to Clients: Don’t Flush Fees Down the Gurgler

An Australian lawyer has written a book about the top 10 mistakes that small and medium-size businesses frequently make in their legal matters. And among the mega-mistakes, he says, is spending money on litigation. For the best-represented clients, the focus should be on talk rather than legal action, writes Paul…

Nov 5, 2007 6:35 PM CST

Was Hicks’ Gitmo Plea a ‘Political Fix’?

The conviction of Australian David Hicks in a U.S. terrorism case after years of imprisonment at an American military prison at Guantanamo Bay has been a hot political issue in his home country. And the controversy is nowhere near dying down even months after he accepted a plea bargain that…

Oct 26, 2007 9:19 PM CDT

It’s Official: UK Law Firms Soon For Sale

Long-anticipated legislation allowing nonattorneys to own United Kingdom law firms passed its final hurdle in the British Parliament today. The Legal Services Bill will soon be signed by Queen Elizabeth II, in the first step toward a legal market for buying and selling UK law firms that should be operational…

Oct 25, 2007 8:49 PM CDT

Court OKs Sleeping Judge at Jury Trial

Saying that a jury trial requires a judge’s physical presence rather than his attention, a divided Australian appeals court panel decided that a slumbering judge did not require retrial of two men convicted on drug charges. Each was sentenced to more than a decade in prison. The judge, who suffered…

Sep 6, 2007 6:07 PM CDT

Facebook Costs, Benefits Firms

Employees surfing the Internet at work are nothing new. But Facebook is particularly tempting, a recent study finds, because the social networking site is so addictive. Workers checking their Facebook profile pages and seeing what’s happening in real-time in online social networks account for billions of dollars worth of lost…

Aug 21, 2007 8:23 PM CDT

Egads! Will US Law Firms Go Public?

Of course it can’t happen yet. But senior partners at big U.S. law firms are talking about the possibility that they will one day be allowed to be have nonattorney shareholders, as Australia already permits and the United Kingdom is expected to allow within a few years. Otherwise, major American…

Aug 13, 2007 10:25 PM CDT

Judge: No Jail for Law Office Bat-Wielder

A middle-aged businessman who smashed a baseball bat through an inner window of an Australian attorney’s office after the lawyer locked himself inside will not be sentenced to jail. Instead, a judge imposed a $4,200 fine and a three-year good-behavior bond on Jim Byrnes, 47, who earlier pleaded guilty to…

Aug 13, 2007 7:16 PM CDT

Landmark Google Suit Over Foreign Ads

A landmark lawsuit has been filed over Google’s Internet advertising in Australia and Ireland that could, if successful, force the search engine giant to make significant changes in the way it handles “sponsored links” paid for by advertisers. Described by a company spokesman as an “attack” on all search engines,…

Jul 12, 2007 8:42 PM CDT

Selling Law on an Open Market

The world’s first publicly traded law firm ignites debate

Jul 1, 2007 11:52 PM CDT

British Law Firms May Go Public, Too

Seeking to follow in the footsteps of at least one Australian competitor, some British law firms reportedly are interested in potentially going public–and legislation being considered by Parliament would allow them to do just that. The Legal Services Bill expected to pass later this year likely will give United Kingdom…

Jun 13, 2007 2:05 AM CDT

World’s First Publicly Owned Law Firm is Growing

A little more than a week after reportedly becoming the world’s first publicly owned law firm, Australia’s Slater & Gordon is already adding to its attorney roster. The growth move by the Melbourne-based personal injury firm, which is bringing into its fold a Brisbane boutique specializing in military compensation, follows…

May 30, 2007 12:08 PM CDT

Military Lawyer’s Career Hurt due to Gitmo Work

A Marine Corps lawyer who represented Australian David Hicks in a Guantanamo Bay case that resulted in a favorable plea deal has apparently suffered career repercussions as a result – and he is not the only one. In the aftermath of his aggressive defense of Hicks, Major Michael Mori has…

May 11, 2007 8:01 PM CDT

New Zealand Vets Ask Billions re Agent Orange

New Zealand veterans of the Vietnam War reportedly may sue their government for billions of dollars in compensation for injuries allegedly caused by use of the dioxin-containing defoliant Agent Orange. The suit would focus on allegations that government officials from the time of the war to the present day have…

May 7, 2007 8:09 PM CDT

Appeals Over Sleeping Judges Studied

A sleep researcher has examined 15 cases of judicial sleepiness, finding that 10 resulted in retrials and up to five forced judges off the bench. Researcher Ronald Grunstein, a professor in Sydney, Australia, suggests monitoring judges for sleepiness on the bench, Wall Street Journal’s Law Blog reports. His study, posted…

May 2, 2007 5:55 PM CDT

Sidley to Open Australia Office

When Sidley Austin opens its first office in Australia, it will be headed by a lawyer who jumped from a job as managing partner at the Sydney office of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. Heading the new office, set to open on May 1, will be Bob Meyers, the Lawyer reports.…

Apr 25, 2007 5:39 PM CDT