Australia

UK’s Ashurst and Australia’s Blake Dawson Plan Major Global Firm with Focus on Asia

In a move intended to create a global law firm with a strong presence in one of the world’s rapidly growing legal markets, major law firms in the United Kingdom and Australia have announced their plans to merge their Asian practices. Ashurst and Blake Dawson conditionally agreed on Friday to…

Sep 26, 2011 5:47 PM CDT

Police Rescue Girl, 12, From Law Office Where Dad Allegedly Made Bomb Threat

After a standoff that lasted much of the day today in a legal district of downtown Sydney, authorities in the major Australian city rescued a 12-year-old girl who reportedly had been held by her father, 52, who claimed to be carrying a bomb in a backpack as he occupied a…

Sep 6, 2011 5:23 PM CDT

Pulled Over While Riding Motorized Plastic Beer Cooler, Man Blows 0.16, Loses Driving Privileges

Add a motorized plastic beer cooler to the list of unusual vehicles that have resulted in convictions for drunken driving. An unlicensed Australian man who purchased one online “for a bit of a giggle” soon found himself facing a serious court case. Christopher Ian Petrie blew a 0.16 on a…

Aug 19, 2011 5:21 PM CDT

Squire Sanders Raids Major Australia Firm; 15 of 19 Minter Partners in Perth Likely to Join US Firm

Squire Sanders & Dempsey has has raided the Perth office of a major Australia-based law firm, where it plans to set up its first office on the continent. Only 4 of 19 Minter Ellison partners in Perth are expected to stay with the firm, moving to a new office in…

Aug 5, 2011 10:04 AM CDT

Aussie Woman Seeks Workers Comp for Injury During Hotel Sex

The facts of the case are as unusual as the claim for compensation. An Australian woman who had hotel sex with an acquaintance in 2007 was injured when a wall-mounted light fell on her during the encounter. Now the woman, a federal employee, is seeking workers compensation because the incident…

Jul 27, 2011 3:33 PM CDT

Young Ex-Associate Sues Aussie BigLaw, Says She Was Fired After Involvement with Firm Solicitor

In a case that is making waves in Australia, a former female associate is going head-to-head with one of the country’s major law firms, contending that she was harassed and fired after becoming “romantically involved” with a Clayton Utz solicitor. In an ongoing lawsuit against the firm, Bridgette Styles alleges…

Jun 8, 2011 6:07 PM CDT

Merger with 700-Lawyer Affiliate Gives DLA Piper World’s Biggest Attorney Roster, About 4,200 Strong

It’s now official, at least as far as the Am Law Daily is concerned: After a merger with a 700-lawyer affiliate in Australia, DLA Piper is now the world’s largest law firm, based on headcount. The firm now has about 4,200 attorneys on its roster, the legal publication reports. Its…

May 2, 2011 8:24 PM CDT

Aussie Researcher to Study Whether Extended Leave, Flexible Hours Affect Partnership Chances

Does an extended leave or a flexible work schedule affect an associate’s chances of winning partnership? Australian doctoral candidate Elisabeth Hetterich hopes to learn the answers to those questions by researching the factors that influence law firm partnership decisions, report the New Lawyer and Queensland University of Technology. Hetterich, a…

Mar 25, 2011 10:30 AM CDT

Law Firm Staff Rappel to Safety from 6th Floor After NZ Quake, But Face Uncertain Future

When an earthquake decimated the central business district of Christchurch, N.Z., last week, staff at Grant Cameron and Associates survived but were stuck in their sixth-floor offices in the Forsyth Barr building after all of the stairwells collapsed. Nearby, the pancaked shards of the Pyne Gould building served as a…

Feb 28, 2011 7:06 PM CST

NY Law Firm Co-Founder and 4 Fla. Law Students Among Those Who Survived NZ Quake

Updated: As rescue operations continued in New Zealand today to try to extricate dozens of people apparently still trapped in collapsed buildings in the central business district of Christchurch, at least seven members of the United States legal community are known to be among the survivors. Today it was reported…

Feb 23, 2011 4:59 PM CST

Two Australian Law Firms to Merge with Clifford Chance

The British-based law firm Clifford Chance is venturing into Australia through a merger with two law firms there. Clifford Chance will gain 14 partners in Australia through mergers with Cochrane Lishman Carson Luscombe in Perth and Chang Pistilli & Simmons in Sydney, according to the Australian, Legal Week and the…

Feb 16, 2011 3:09 PM CST

Scalia Takes His Frank Views to Australia, Criticizes EU for Offering ‘Reduced Democracy’

Justice Antonin Scalia criticized the European Union and its Court of Human Rights as undemocratic in an appearance in Australia on Wednesday. Scalia’s “famous self-confidence and power to control a debate” were evident during his speech and a question-and-answer period, the Australian reports. According to the report, Scalia criticized the…

Feb 4, 2011 12:28 PM CST

DLA Piper to Become World’s Largest Law Firm with Australian Merger

DLA Piper is planning a merger with its Australian partner DLA Phillips Fox to become the world’s largest law firm. The merger, targeted to take place May 1, is subject to a partnership vote, Bloomberg News reports. The two law firms had formed an exclusive alliance in 2006. The merged…

Jan 27, 2011 2:41 PM CST

‘Big Six’ Australian Law Firms Evacuate as Flooding Worsens in Brisbane

At least two of Australia’s ‘Big Six’ law firms are among the legal partnerships evacuating their offices in Brisbane this week after weeks of rain caused widespread flooding that reportedly is the worst in 50 years. Up to 60 feet of water are expected to cover parts of the city…

Jan 12, 2011 7:02 PM CST

Major London-Based Law Firms Look to Australia for New Global Base

As the world’s BigLaw firms look to maintain their preeminence, Australia is becoming the new frontier for those wishing to take over top deals from local legal partnerships. Allen & Overy which established offices in Perth and Sydney earlier this year, has reported banner profits from its global operations. And…

Dec 22, 2010 1:21 AM CST