Australia

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

Publicly Owned Slater & Gordon Pays $35M to Acquire Controversial Aussie Law Firm

A publicly owned law firm in Australia has gobbled up a troubled personal injury law firm, paying $35 million for the acquisition. Slater & Gordon has acquired the controversial Keddies law firm, known for charging clients $60 for a welcome letter and $49 for reading a thank-you card, the Sydney…

Oct 27, 2010 12:54 PM CDT

Australian Lawyer One Ups Koran-Threatening Florida Preacher

An Australian lawyer went several steps further than Florida preacher Terry Jones when he smoked the Bible and the Koran in a video he posted to YouTube this weekend. Brisbane-based lawyer Alex Stewart tore pages from the Koran and the Bible, put something in them resembling marijuana, rolled them up…

Sep 13, 2010 11:36 AM CDT

Australian Authorities Investigating Claim That Judge Bullied Lawyer Prior to Suicide

Australian authorities are investigating allegations that a judge may have bullied a young legal aid lawyer just weeks before she committed suicide. Dragana Nuic, a 22-year-old legal aid lawyer, died in March after jumping off “The Gap,” an oceanside cliff in Sydney’s eastern suburbs that is popular with people intent…

Aug 20, 2010 6:38 PM CDT

World’s 1st Public-Owned Law Firm Posts Another Big Profit

An Australia-based personal injury law firm that is listed on the Australian Stock Exchange has posted another big profit. Slater & Gordon raked in roughly $112 million in revenue in 2009-2010, a 21 percent increase from the previous fiscal year, reports Legal Week. Profit was up 16 percent, to about…

Aug 19, 2010 10:56 PM CDT

Franchising Law Firm Applies the Concept to Itself

A law firm in Melbourne, Australia, that focuses on franchise law has decided to practice what it preaches. The firm, Franchise Legal, is franchising its name to a Sydney law firm, ALB Legal News reports. Franchise Legal founder Ilya Furman told ALB that after the Sydney operation is well-established he…

Jul 22, 2010 4:05 PM CDT

Australian Band Ordered to Pay 5% of Royalties for Copying ‘Kookaburra’ in 1980s Hit

An Australian judge has ordered the band Men at Work to pay royalties to a music publisher for copying ”Kookaburra Sits in the Old Gum Tree” in a hit song from the 1980s. Larrikin Music had sought 60 percent of the royalties from the song “Down Under,” but was awarded…

Jul 6, 2010 11:38 AM CDT

Lawyer, Other Execs, Board of Mining Co. Killed in Plane Crash

A New York lawyer serving as a corporate secretary for Sundance Resources was killed in a plane crash in Africa over the weekend, along with other executives, the mining magnate who owned the company and its entire board. The Sundance group was among 11 passengers and crew members on a…

Jun 22, 2010 6:34 PM CDT

Australian Man Ordered to Jail for Blowing Bubble Gum in Court

An Australian man has been sentenced to 30 days in jail for blowing a bubble as he chewed his gum during a court hearing. Mirza Zukanovic of Melbourne disclosed his choice of gum—it’s Hubba Bubba—in an exclusive interview with the Herald Sun. Zukanovic said he meant no disrespect and he…

Jun 18, 2010 2:23 PM CDT