What do all the election promises mean for lawyers? Stay up-to-date as the Lawyers Weekly team delivers the latest legal-related election news fresh from the campaign trail.

Latest election stories

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August 24: Could be three months for Govt to be formed: law experts

Constitutional law experts believe the wrangling over the next federal government could drag on until the end of November.

August 23: Lawyers win crucial seats

With the complete outcome of the 2010 Federal Election still unknown, the one certainty is that lawyers-turned-politicians will play a significant role in the new parliament. Lawyers Weekly takes a look at the members of the legal profession heading to Canberra.

August 20: Lawyers backing the Coalition

The Coalition holds the greatest promise for the legal profession and what it stands for, but with a significant proportion of the profession expressing support for the Greens, according to a Lawyers Weekly survey held this week.

August 20: Meet the legal candidates

Lawyers Weekly interviews six members of the legal profession from across the political spectrum who are throwing their hat into the ring this Saturday.

>> The Shadow Minister: Greg Hunt

>> The Independent Barrister: Matthew Hogg

>> The Blue Ribbon seat: Kelly O'Dwyer

>> Greens in the west: Kate Davis

>> The Marginal Member: David Bradbury

>> The Young Activist: Nathan Timmins

August 13: Labor says Libs new court would offend military

The Shadow Attorney-General George Brandis announced on Friday that a Coalition government would overhaul the Federal Magistrates Court, but according to Attorney-General Robert McClelland, such a move would undermine the proposed Military Court.

August 12: Politics confounding asylum issues

Australia's major political parties are blurring the lines between the legality of claiming asylum and the illegality of people smuggling, according to the NSW Young Lawyers, which is calling on both the ALP and the Coalition to reaffirm their commitment to international conventions ratified by Australia.

August 10: LCA calls for referendum on Indigenous recognition

The Law Council of Australia (LCA) has called on all parties to commit to a referendum in the next term of government to recognise Indigenous Australians.

August 10: Labor bans illegal logging imports

The federal government has attempted to strengthen its green credentials with an announcement that if re-elected, it would introduce legislation to ban the import of illegally harvested wood, in an announcement made by Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Minister Tony Burke.

August 9: Greens can provide justice for asylum seekers

The Greens' policies are far better than those of the Government or Coalition in regards to how asylum seekers are treated and processed, says the Law Council of Australia.

August 8: Expert panel to help achieve Indigenous recognition

The Government has announced plans to establish an expert panel to help progress towards the recognition of Indigenous Australians in the Constitution, if re-elected.

August 8: Abbott's mandatory sentencing proposal nothing new

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott's announcement that he will introduce mandatory sentences for people smuggling offences has prompted Labor to claim that mandatory sentencing is already in place.

August 6: GetUp! wins High Court challenge

Mallesons Stephen Jaques has successfully acted in a High Court challenge to amendments in the Electoral Act, with the full Court of the High Court finding that amendments made to the Electoral Act by the Howard Government in 2006 were invalid.

August 6: Parties show no commitment to legal issues

The Labor Party and the Coalition has shown a disappointing lack of commitment to dealing with issues such as access to justice and human rights, according to the Law Council of Australia (LCA).

August 3: Mallesons act for GetUp! in High Court challenge

Mallesons Stephen Jaques is acting pro bono for the political activist group GetUp! in its High Court challenge to the Electoral Act.

August 3: Lawyers lean to the left

A Lawyers Weekly analysis has shown there are nearly twice as many lawyers standing for the Australian Labor Party compared to the Liberal Party for seats in the House of Representatives in the upcoming Federal Election.

August 3: The battle continues for same-sex marriage

The 2010 Federal Election campaign is in full swing, but Australians will not see legalisation of same-sex marriage come onto the policy agendas of mainstream political parties any time soon.

July 28: Parties urged to spend more on law

On behalf of the legal profession, the Law Institute of Victoria has called upon the 2010 Federal Election candidates to commit to 10 legal priorities, with increased legal aid funding at the top of the list.

July 27: Abbott to abandon Human Rights Framework

Arguing that the Labor Government's wasteful spending has pushed up interest rates, Federal Opposition leader Tony Abbott has announced that he will scrap Labor's recently introduced Human Rights Framework as part of $1.2 billion in spending cuts, if the Coalition wins the election on August 21.

July 26: Upheaval of IR laws must stop

The Federal Government owes Australians certainty in regards to industrial relations laws and the outcome of the election should not create further upheaval, according to prominent industrial relations lawyers.

July 22: Political parties urged to address lawyer concerns

The Law Council of Australia (LCA) has given a deadline to all sides of politics to offer the legal profession some credible policies around access to justice, the shortage of country lawyers and the legalities of the asylum seeker debatepolicy will be a study in the victory of politics over law.

July 19: Asylum gone mad

The political showdown over Australia's asylum seeker policy will be a study in the victory of politics over law.

July 15: Lawyer to run for Vaucluse

The Liberal Party has announced that Gabrielle Upton, legal counsel for the Australian Institute of Company Directors, is a candidate for pre-selection in the NSW seat of Vaucluse.