Headlock? Non justiciable actions? Loans? All exceedingly confusing stuff.

Bankruptcy and disendorsement are hopefully easier to grasp.

My mother was a witness in the Fitzgerald Inquiry, which really led to her being jailed in 1986/87 in Boggo Road Women’s Jail, which ultimately led to me being adopted.

I know she didn’t lead a perfect life, but she was a single immigrant with no family or support. Does anyone know if court documents would still be held for a case this old?

Having never practiced in NSW, the matter appears particularly salacious. Any dust raised by Wass J's decisions?

Director of Public Prosecutions (NSW) v President of the Legislative Council of New South Wales [2026] NSWCA 20
https://www.caselaw.nsw.gov.au/decision/19cb2047335215cbced878bb

[13] However, we do note that it is highly unusual for a sitting judicial officer to make a submission to a Parliamentary Committee bearing upon the conduct of any particular litigant before the judicial officer. None of the parties or interveners identified any comparable case, and we are aware of none. It is axiomatic that any judicial officer must constantly be concerned to ensure that justice is and has the appearance of being administered impartially. Although we make no comment as to the Judge’s Submission, one of the incidents of holding judicial office is the need to refrain from making statements which are capable of giving rise to a perception that the judge may not deal with matters before that judge impartially.

R v Baker [2026] NSWDC 239 (10 July 2026)

R v Baker [2026] NSWDC 239 (10 July 2026)

[110] What is most important in any consideration of whether there is a logical connection between the Director and the case, is to imbue the Observer with such knowledge, in the “real world of actual litigation". That is concerned with roles carried out and not labels. To do otherwise would be to ignore the need for the Crown to articulate a reasonable and logical connection between the Director and the matter, such that the Observer might conclude that any views I have of the Director might have any capacity to influence my decisions in the case. In this case, for the reasons identified, no logical connection has been identified.

[122] Accordingly, the Director’s lack of status as a party to the litigation and the line of delegation results in there being no connection between the statements made against the Director in the Submission or any other factor and whether the Observer might think that I might not deal with any submission to be made in the future by the Prosecutor on behalf of the Crown other than in accordance with its merits. The Observer would have no basis upon which to conclude that this might not be the case either then or in the future, given the distance between the Director and the case at hand.

From 20 years ago in constitutional law, I understand we don't have a bill of rights. Say something like this is federally legislated regarding the Muslim headwear, is constitutional challenges in the High Court something that would occur or would it just be accepted as it's in the government's power to legislate.

"Rely on unverified AI output and the exposure is real"

These tropes are visible from space to anyone with even a passing familiarity with AI usage.

Even if the writer did not use AI, part of good writing now is identifying and forsaking the much loved turns of phrase that AI has appropriated. We all loved a good em dash but you'd be a brave one to use them in legal correspondence these days.

Hello, does anyone know what happened to the coffee stand that was direct outside the supreme court of NSW. They have been gone for months and they had my favourite chocolate croissants. The other cafes don't taste the same. 😢

I’ve got so much shit to get off my chest.

I’m interested in hearing what setups others are using, particularly those who have moved away from paper.

Two questions:

(1) Does anyone here use a MacBook/Apple ecosystem in their legal practice? If so, has it integrated well with the software and workflows you use, or have you run into any limitations compared with Windows?

(2) Do you use an iPad or other tablet as an ancillary work tool? I’m particularly interested in using one for file notes, annotating briefs, and reducing the amount of paper I carry around. If you do, what app and stylus do you use, and would you recommend it?

I’ve also noticed some counsel using iPads with what looks like a matte screen protector that gives the surface more of a paper-like feel when writing. Has anyone used one of these (e.g. Paperlike or similar), and are these ancillary tools worth the spend?

This thread is for the general discussion of anything going on in the lives of Auslawyers or for discussion of the subreddit itself. Please use this thread to unwind and share your complaints about the world. Keep it messy!

Leaving to one side the questionable ethics of developers making million dollar "loans" to politicians, I think we now know why she pulled her matter.

In terms of requiring absolute perfection when it comes to document formatting, like the colour of struck/underlined text needing to be the same for amended documents, apparently? Though prior amended pleadings I've filed without following that rule haven't been an problem... maybe it's just a skill issue.

Hi all. I am in Brisbane for a bit with nothing to do and had the idea to go sit in on magistrates court for a bit, the thing is I don’t have any formal wear with me, would jeans and a T-shirt get me tarred and feathered? Also wondering if there’s any way to find which court rooms are hearing summary trials rather than just mentions?

In another humiliating backdown by the Victorian Liberal Party Executive, Deeming has withdrawn here Supreme Court application.

But, she has still not walked back the allegations "In her statement to the party's state executive, Mrs Deeming continued to allege she was "grabbed, held and pulled with force that caused me pain and distress"."

With Ashurst and Sparke Helmore’s latest (truly heinous) rebrands - who do we think has the best/worst Auslaw logos ?

Barry Nilsson and WK’s abstractions equally grotesque. HSFK and (surprisingly) Cornwalls seems to have the best of an overall very average pack. All subjective. Thoughts?

How's everyone going? Bedlam? Calamity? Please discuss.

Offending word censored to get around the auto-mod.

“Customers the ABC has spoken to each paid amounts ranging from a few thousand dollars to $100,000 for Mr Hughes to source and restore classic cars.
“His yard in Bali is filled with vehicles at different stages of restoration — some customers' cars have been there for more than five years with little to no work done.
“Some other cars, which were delivered, were not roadworthy.”