The first Chief Judge of the Employment Court, Tom Goddard, who also enjoyed a strong reputation as a leading barrister prior to his appointment, t is to be remembered with a special court sitting in November. A tough but fair-minded Judge with a formidable intellect and strong sense of fairness, he died in March at the age of 81. As a refugee with his Jewish family from … [Read more...]
What Matters Most To Clients? Firm or Lawyer? This Survey Holds Some Answers
The Results Play To New Law Business Models The oft-heard query about clients seeking out lawyers is whether they rely on the firm 'brand', or seek out individual lawyers. The NAB inaugural Australian Legal Services Industry Survey, when it comes to reputation as a factor in deciding which legal adviser they want to go to, SME clients care more about the external perception … [Read more...]
Maori Language Week: Kia Kakano rua te ture: A te reo Māori Handbook
Alana Thomas* Kia kaha te reo Māori is the theme for this year’s Te Wiki o te reo Māori / Māori Language Week which is held from 9 – 15 September 2019. Literally translated, ‘Kia Kaha’ means to ‘be strong’, so when we say ‘Kia Kaha te Reo Māori’ we’re saying - ‘Let’s make the Māori language strong'. Here at LexisNexis we want to play our part in making the Māori language … [Read more...]
Why The Law Partnership Structure is Not An Anachronism . . And What Lawyers Hate Doing Most
The idea that the partnership is an anachronism is misguided The strength of the partnership structure for law firms has been questioned, but an article in the Australian Financial Review indicates that law firms should avoid following the corporate model of corporations and instead focus on the producer-manager-leader (PML) model where senior lawyers are "on the … [Read more...]
The Pompous Judicial ‘Blah’ of the Judge & The Prostitutes & The Creative Artistry of Barristers’ Bills
Sir Robert Jones* In an entertaining recent Australian libel case the presiding Judge, Justice Flick, wrote the following pompous blah in his judgement. “The evidence establishes his knowledge of prostitution being carried on out of premises he either owned or had a not insignificant interest in and that he was involved in prostitution and participated in the receipt of … [Read more...]