Victoria welcomes new Solicitor for Public Prosecutions.
Victoria has appointed a new Solicitor for Public Prosecutions to oversee staff budgets and to brief counsel on serious, high-profile crimes. Director of Public Prosecutions Kerri Judd QC welcomed Abbey Hogan as the Solicitor for Public Prosecutions (SPP) in Victoria, crediting Ms Hogan with understanding the “challenges and importance” of the work of the Office of Public Prosecutions (OPP). Read More
2019 earnings: What lawyers were worth and what this means for 2020
The average salaries of lawyers at all levels and across many practice areas increased exponentially in 2019, with further growth predicted for 2020. According to Beacon Legal’s Private Practice Salary and Market Report 2020, lawyers experienced “record-level” salaries, particularly in the areas of litigation, public M&A’s, construction and banking. The firm predicts 2020 will be a “great year” for solicitors to seek a new role and achieve further growth in their salary brackets.
However, this means law firms will see tougher competition in securing talent as there are more opportunities – and higher signing bonuses – offered across the profession. Read More
EU countries averaging 278 GDPR breach notifications per day: DLA Piper
According to new data from global firm DLA Piper, breach notifications under the GDPR are trending upwards. In its “GDPR Data Breach Survey: January 2020”, DLA found that for the period between 28 January 2019 and 27 January 2020, there were 278 breach notifications per day on average across the European Economic Area, which covers all 28 member states of the European Union.
That amounted to a 12.6 per cent increase from the period from 25 May 2018 to 27 January 2019, which had an average of 247 breach notifications per day. Read More
5 emerging issues for in-house counsel in 2020
Corporate lawyers always face myriad issues day-to-day in their respective businesses, but according to one senior in-house counsel, certain trends are emerging that can and will shape how in-house teams engage with their businesses this year.
Climate change liability risk, professional negligence claims, increases in pro bono work undertaken, increases in IR claims and transparency around the gender pay gap are all shaping up to be key themes for corporate lawyers this year, according to non-executive director and senior in-house counsel Claire Bibby. Read More
Should firms move towards fixed pricing in the wake of FWC requirements?
Movement away from billable hours is the best way to breed a better, more hospitable environment for overworked juniors, according to five NewLaw practitioners – including one who called the new FWC requirements a “sad indictment of the old law model”.
Late last year, new industrial regulations were handed down requiring law firms to log the quantum of hours worked by graduate lawyers and paralegals to ensure that junior staff are being properly compensated for work completed. Read More
Family law system has been ‘neglected, underfunded and under-resourced’
Australia’s judicial system for family law is a “critical piece of social justice infrastructure” that desperately needs greater resourcing and commitments to specific improvements, according to the NSW Bar Association.
In its submission to the joint select committee on Australia’s family law system, the NSW Bar Association said that Australia’s “once world-leading” family law system is “not currently serving the best interests of children and families as well as it could or should”, creating “much frustration” with the current state of affairs. Read More
Trivago misled Australian customers on hotel pricing, court finds
Travel website Trivago misled consumers about cheap hotel deals on its website and in advertising, a federal court judge has ruled. The Netherlands-incorporated company didn’t actually show customers the cheapest deals for hotel rooms but promoted advertisers who paid the biggest fees.
“Contrary to the impression created by the relevant conduct, the Trivago website did not provide an impartial, objective and transparent price comparison service,” the federal court justice Mark Moshinsky said on Monday. Read More
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