Maxim Shanahan

In July, the Labor-aligned law firm disclosed a decade-long miscalculation of leave, which had left staff out of pocket. It attributed this to human error.

Top law firms are forking out more than $5 million a year to poach or protect big-billing market leaders from rivals, amid intense industry competition.

Senior transactions partners Aaron Kenaman and Jamie Palmer will join White & Case, as Jones Day picks up Baker McKenzie’s tax head.

The local head of Bird & Bird, which is celebrating 10 years in Australia, says the partnership ethos is in danger from chequebook-wielding firms.

Sue Kench will depart at the end of the year and retire from the partnership next year, as the firm doubles down on its Sino-Australian alliance.

HPX Group chief executive Nick Humphrey says rolling consulting services into a legal practice means clients have a better chance of taking advantage of legal privilege.

Attwood Marshall’s location next to Snapper Rocks means lawyers can catch waves to decompress from the stresses of legal work.

A rare alignment of transactional and countercyclical demand has kept lawyers busy across most parts of the legal market.

Former chief executives Luke Sayers and Tom Seymour have expressed surprise at Kevin Burrowes’ second role with PwC International. How the day unfolded.

The winners of the Professional Services category are two Arup engineers who proposed a unique joint arrangement to enable them to balance leadership and family commitments.

Start-up workers must be prepared to “go to war,” to help their companies succeed, rather than worrying about work-life balance top local entrepreneurs have warned.

The technology, which has been touted as a revolution in legal practice, will streamline basic tasks but is likely to have limited impact on core legal work.

Parliamentary approval of contracts and a review of laws governing partnerships are among the final recommendations of a Senate inquiry into outsourcing.

The firm is banking on continued growth in Melbourne corporate activity, and is taking a punt on start-ups and venture capital as a new source of clients.

MinterEllison is set to hire seven consulting partners from PwC in the largest single raid on the big four consulting firm since the tax leaks scandal.

Allens and four other law firms are set to move into the revamped AMP building at Circular Quay as a new legal district in Sydney develops towards the harbour.

Local managing partner Jason Denisenko says the new-look firm will occupy the same space in the market, but will increasingly take on US firms with Australian arms.

Law firm Thomson Geer has built a 4.9pc stake in ASX-listed Qantm Intellectual Property, currently the subject of a takeover tussle.

In response to comments by Jeremy Hirschhorn to the Senate, the Law Council warned against casting doubt over the purpose of law firms’ consulting arms.

Former ACCC chairman Graeme Samuel says the big four’s governance changes looked good on paper, but would not fundamentally change the culture of the firms.