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This week, the Reserve Bank kept the cash rate at current levels, and unionised workers at one of Australia’s biggest firms struck an agreement for pay rises and other entitlements. Here is your weekly round-up of the biggest stories for Australia’s legal profession.
For the week from 31 March to 4 April, these were the 10 most-read stories on Lawyers Weekly (in case you missed them):
1. Squatter’s right claim falls apart for former lawyer
A lawyer turned real estate agent was booted out of a supposedly abandoned Sydney property when her squatter’s rights claim failed.
2. Struck-off barrister makes ‘scandalous’ claims to dodge costs order
An ACT barrister removed from the roll for throwing other lawyers under the bus was handed a costs order after he made “scandalous” allegations and attempted to relitigate the case against him.
3. Pig-hunting lawyer commits insurance fraud, court told
In the face of “concrete evidence”, a principal lawyer lied to his insurance company about an incident that involved pig hunting, a broken Can-Am vehicle, and a former client with a broken leg.
4. Court fed up with lawyers filing ‘last-minute’ extension applications
While dealing with a potential claim against an institutional abuse law firm, a judicial registrar was left frustrated by the “apparent assumption” by some legal practitioners that it is open to them to make last-minute applications to extend deadlines.
5. What led this tennis prodigy to pursue a legal career
From competing in the Australian Open to winning gold at the Commonwealth Youth Games, Jade Hopper opens up about what inspired her to trade in her tennis racket for a career in law.
6. RBA makes second cash rate call for 2025
In February, the Reserve Bank cut rates for the first time since November 2020. In this special announcement, brought to you by Legal Home Loans, find out if the RBA has again moved to provide cost-of-living relief for mortgage holders nationwide.
7. $160k awarded for defamation over sickening paedophilia accusations
A child recovery agent who once vowed he would not pay “one cent” to a family dispute resolution practitioner he repeatedly defamed with vile and untrue accusations has been ordered to fork out more than $300,000.
8. Counsel immune from negligence suit over evidence error
Advocate’s immunity protected a counsel from allegations her conduct during a sexual offences trial jeopardised her client’s defence and led to him unnecessarily spending 15 months behind bars.
9. Perth firm dodges bullying order pursued by former employee
Despite her application having already been thrown out, a former employee of a Perth law firm tried to convince the Fair Work Commission to issue a stop-bullying order to the managing director and two external parties charged with investigating her complaints.
10. Former client tries to claw back $300k in alleged debt
A former client and creditor of a Sydney boutique firm attempted to recoup an alleged debt of close to $300,000.