This Month
The law firms trawling through corporate scandals
Demand for law firm-led investigations has grown but concerns remain about their independence and probative value.
- Maxim Shanahan
October
Why the $5m lawyer is no longer a rarity at top Aussie firms
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.
- Maxim Shanahan
September
KWM changes partner pay to reward the biggest billers
KWM’s top-performing partners will be able to take home a greater share of the firm’s profits, after “moderate” changes to remuneration structure were approved by partners.
- Maxim Shanahan
August
ILSC’s Ayers Rock Resort sale expands to the Daintree
The Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation has launched a formal sale process for the operational assets of its subsidiary Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
July
Rapid growth puts pressure on law partnership structures
Almost two-thirds of new legal partners are now on a part-salary arrangement as rapid growth puts pressure on equity allocations.
- Maxim Shanahan
More law firms hit gender targets as partnership gap narrows
A record number of law firms now have more than 40 per cent female partnerships, but part-owner gender ratios contrast sharply with the engine room.
- Maxim Shanahan
June
Energy transition lights a rocket under law firms
Law firms are streaking ahead of the broader economy, adding partners as deals return and the energy transition offers decades of lucrative work.
- Maxim Shanahan
Challenger firms increase pay in fight for top-tier legal talent
Clients, social positions and work-life balance are among the factors in-demand graduates are looking for in a firm – but high rates of pay don’t hurt.
- Maxim Shanahan
Ignorance rather than greed behind Sandfire’s Indigenous blunder
An investigation conducted by Gilbert + Tobin concluded there was a “clear failure” by the copper producer’s former management to understand “ESG obligations”.
- Peter Ker
May
G+T targets Melbourne, start-ups with new partners
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.
- Maxim Shanahan
Law graduates are about to crack a salary record
Top-tier graduates will earn more than $100,000 this year – in Sydney only – but law firms remain tight-lipped on pay rates despite moves towards transparency elsewhere.
- Maxim Shanahan
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Queensland in secret bid to buy stricken coal-fired power plant
It’s three years since Queensland power station Callide C blew up, and the fallout hasn’t stopped. Now, a secret deal for the government to buy a 50 per cent stake is in doubt.
- Anthony Macdonald
February
How to get a job at a top-tier law firm
Mere legal ability is no longer enough to secure a prized top-tier clerkship. Firms are looking for excellence in all aspects of life. Here’s our guide.
- Maxim Shanahan
Corrs lags top law firms on gender pay gap
Firms with a higher proportion of women partners tended to have a smaller median pay gap among staff, new data from WGEA shows.
- Maxim Shanahan
- Exclusive
- Legal industry
Freehills gets new M&A head as Gilbert + Tobin goes west
M&A partner Matthew FitzGerald will lead Herbert Smith Freehills’ corporate division from May, while Gilbert + Tobin has acquired a Perth-based boutique firm.
- Updated
- Maxim Shanahan
October 2023
Gilbert + Tobin bails out of Barangaroo
The move is another blow to the Barangaroo precinct, which has struggled to retain tenants due to decisions to move elsewhere or downsize.
- Updated
- Campbell Kwan and Maxim Shanahan
September 2023
The $108 billion Japanese giant vying with Telstra for Versent
The mooted acquisition, expected to be worth as much as $400 million, was revealed by Street Talk on Thursday. The sale process is being run by Goldman Sachs.
- Updated
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
August 2023
Why putting up with boring tasks made this executive a better boss
Fiona Lang of BBC Studios says mastering technical skills early in your career will give you confidence later on.
- Sally Patten
- Exclusive
- Legal industry
Gilbert + Tobin, DLA Piper defy slump in law firm taxpayer work
Gilbert + Tobin and DLA Piper surged up the rankings for government legal work in 2022-23, but last year’s No.1 firm King & Wood Mallesons tumbled.
- Ronald Mizen
July 2023
Clayton Utz partner jumps ship to Gilbert + Tobin
Street Talk understands restructuring and insolvency partner Orla McCoy has resigned.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport