News and resources

For what is believed to be the first time, a trans athlete has won a protracted court battle to enable an Apprehended Personal Violence Order (APVO) to be used to combat cyberbullying, as well as physical violence and abuse. Trans athlete targeted in cyberbullying campaign Sadly, cyberbullying is happening more and more, despite laws aimed […]

A recent landmark judgment by the Dust Diseases Tribunal has awarded a Sydney tunnel worker $2.4 million compensation after he contracted silicosis and fibrosis from damaging airborne hazards. Silicosis diagnosis after 27 years of working in tunnels The award is the highest ever received in Australia for a dust-related injury – $860,000 in general damages, […]

The NSW government has declared its battle to tighten access to workers compensation is over, after a core element of its workers comp bill was defeated in parliament. Workers comp bill raised bar for psychological injury eligibility Workers compensation is currently available to people suffering from psychological injury, such as PTSD, anxiety and depression, provided […]

A Queensland police officer developed PTSD after attending a motor vehicle accident in 2013, involving a car driver who was speeding and intoxicated with amphetamines and cannabis at the time of the collision.

The policeman attended the scene and tried to keep the driver alive with first aid and encouragement. He was the first officer on the scene, having arrived earlier than the ambulance paramedics and the fire brigade.

The police officer had to deal with the arrival of the driver’s parents at the scene of the accident and had to indicate to them that their son would not survive. The driver’s parents had to say goodbye to him at the accident scene.

The fact of having to deal with the driver’s parents added an extra level of trauma for the policeman, over and above the trauma of dealing with the driver’s injuries, which proved to be fatal.

Maurie Stack, 1948-2025 Maurie Stack OAM, hailed as a giant of the law in NSW, has died aged 77. With his brothers, Ray and Tim, he built Stacks Law Firm from its base in Taree to include 15 offices across the east coast including Sydney, employing more than 180 lawyers and support staff. The firm […]

Tough new regulations on administering cosmetic injections, such as Botox, have come into force following several women being hospitalised with life-threatening conditions after receiving botched treatments. Black market for Botox and cosmetic treatments In March 2025, a Sydney non-registered practitioner who had administered fake Botox injections to the hospitalised women was banned from performing cosmetic […]

The New South Wales legal profession is mourning the loss of Maurie Stack OAM, a former President of the Law Society of NSW and the driving force behind the expansion of Stacks Law Firm, who passed away overnight. Current Law Society President Jennifer Ball announced the news today, paying tribute to Stack as a “true […]

A law firm negotiated with a landlord for the lease of office premises in the inner Brisbane suburb of Bowen Hills, in Queensland. In November 2010, the parties agreed a deal and the terms were recorded in two documents:

• A standard form lease for a term of seven years, with three options to renew. Rent was to be paid monthly and a signage fee was to be paid annually; and
• An incentive deed, by which the landlord offered several incentives to the law firm to secure the deal, including a contribution to the fitout of the offices and a three-year reduction in the rent and signage fees payable under the lease.

A married couple bought a rural property on the northwest peri-urban fringe of Sydney in 1969. Both held high-profile jobs in fields unrelated to agriculture, so for the whole of the time between the purchase and the death in 2016 of the wife, who outlived her husband, the property had to be run by a manager on a share farming basis.

The claimant was the son of the man who had managed the property until 1974, after which the claimant, then 22, took over, and remained as the manager until the death of the wife.

Under the will of the wife – the sole owner of the property after her husband’s death – the property was left to one of her two daughters; and there was a gift of a little over $200,000 to the claimant.

Falling from a height is the leading cause of traumatic injuries and fatalities in the NSW construction industry, closely followed by construction site accidents involving electricity. Alarming rate of construction site accidents Safe Work Australia statistics are disturbing: in the year 2022-23 there were 36 fatalities in the construction industry. Construction accidents led to 16,647 […]

A couple had a child in 2008 and separated in 2010. The parents had distinctly different world views, with the mother being deeply religious, while the father was not religious at all. After the separation, the couple managed to negotiate arrangements for sharing the care of the child.

In November 2012 the father took legal action against the mother, seeking interim orders binding the parties in relation to the school that their daughter would attend.

One of the items on our website – Can your boss force you to work weekends? – continues to attract enquiries, despite being published in 2012. This article is an update. Discussing whether or not employees can be made to work out of hours requires reference to the way in which the “rules” around employment […]

A man was employed by a company on a full-time basis as a channel manager.

He was diagnosed with stage IV stomach and liver cancer in August 2012. From that time until his dismissal in July 2013, the employee remained on leave. He had paid sick leave until that ran out and after that was on unpaid leave.

The employee kept his employer updated of his progress throughout his period of absence from the workplace.

Conveyancing in NSW and Queensland differs significantly, with NSW often seen as more legally structured and buyer friendly. If you are buying or selling over the border for the first time, it is important you are across the differences and the legal requirements, and in particular, the reforms that came into effect on 1 August […]

In a case study reported in 2016 by the UK Financial Ombudsman, an investor in the United Kingdom, Ms Q, fell victim to a payment redirection scam when she had her emails hacked by fraudsters, who impersonated her and sent emails purporting to be from her to her financial adviser.

Pictured above, top row, L-R: Karina Goodall, Tom Goudkamp, Anna Tavianatos, Justin Stack. Bottom row, L-R: Alessandra Pettit, Grant Avery, Sally Gleeson. We’re proud to share that several of our talented personal injury lawyers have been recognised for their outstanding expertise by their inclusion in the 2025 Doyle’s Guide rankings for Injury & Compensation Law […]

A case heard in NSW concerned a dispute between one co-executor who was the son of the deceased, and one who had been her de facto partner.

In April 2011 a woman died at 60 years of age. She was survived by her two adult children and her de facto spouse.

The woman and the de facto spouse had lived together as a couple since about 1996 until her death, a period of about 15 years. They lived together on the NSW coast in a home unit which was owned by the woman.

The property was the woman’s only asset of any real value, which was estimated at $245,000 at her death.

The woman made her last will in 1998, appointing one of her sons and her de facto spouse as co-executors. The will left half the value of her home to her de facto spouse and the other half to her sons.

Probate of the will was granted to the son and the de facto spouse as co-executors.

A Workers Compensation Bill before the NSW Parliament would significantly change workers compensation laws, in particular the way psychological injury in the workplace is assessed and dealt with by authorities. New Workers Compensation Bill aims to keep scheme sustainable The original Workers Compensation Exposure Draft included provisions requiring people who experience sexual harassment or racial […]