Although shareholder activism in Australia has undoubtedly grown in recent years, 2017 was particularly interesting in that a number of high-profile ASX-listed companies (Woolworths, Origin Energy and BHP to name…
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The Royal Commission: Beware its Teeth
As news breaks of the banking and financial services industry deceiving customers and regulators, we chat to Dr Tom Middleton, author of ASIC Corporate Investigations and Hearings, about the powers…
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Intimate Family Violence and the Abolition of Defensive Homicide
In 2014, Victoria abolished the offence of defensive homicide following a “widely held perception that it was being abused by violent men”. Despite having been abolished, defensive homicide made appearances…
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How Bitcoin and Cryptocurrencies are Set to Challenge and Change Law Firms
The 2017 Bitcoin boom means most lawyers have at least heard of this popular cryptocurrency. However, few understand how Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies really work, how they are used and…
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Electronic Signatures: A Guide for Lawyers
When I began my career in corporate law, signing and exchange of contracts involved a certain ceremony and spectacle. Junior lawyers printed and clipped the requisite number of counterparts and…
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Summary Procedure Reform in South Australia: The Abolition of Complaints and the Use of Informations
Following the abolition of the “complaint” instrument in the recent summary procedure shake-up in South Australia (SA), criminal lawyers will need to be more alert to classifying the offence in…
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Domestic Firms Looking to the Global Market with Country Desks
Domestic Australian law firms are increasingly using ‘country desks’ to attract work from foreign markets, from China to Japan, the Middle East, Europe and beyond. The 2017 Australia: State of…
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Rage Against the Machines: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Legal Practice
Heel-dragging frustration at impending changes in the legal industry is misguided. There will likely always be jobs for creative and gregarious lawyers. It’s the repetitive tasks at the junior end…
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8 Cases that Stopped the Nation in 2017
From the unconventional to the absurd, the year 2017 was nirvana for legal tragics. The Supreme Court of New South Wales held that citizen’s arresting Uber drivers is, usually, inadvisable.…
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The 9 Trends That Continued to Drive Change in the Legal Sector in 2017
Relentless disruption, change and innovation are once again the key themes for lawyers this year. Increasingly sophisticated technologies along with pressures from clients, employees and regulatory systems are pushing firms…
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