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 […]

The NSW Food Authority has announced a product recall for several soft cheese products that have been available in supermarkets across Australia, due to a potential contamination with deadly Listeria monocytogenes. Listeria fears prompt international product recall of soft cheese dated up to 1 October 2025 The products are Mon Ami branded Brie – French […]

A car accident took place in Chatswood, NSW, on a dark and rainy day with poor visibility. One of the cars involved was a Nissan Skyline, occupied by the driver and his passenger, who worked together and had just left their place of work.

The driver lost control of the Skyline, crossed onto the wrong side of the road and came to a standstill. A four wheel drive vehicle travelling in the opposite direction was unable to stop and collided with the front passenger door of the Skyline.

The passenger was trapped in the car and sustained serious injury to his left leg. The driver of the four wheel drive was also injured.

All areas of the law evolve under the stimulus of societal change, and few areas evolve more quickly than that of employment law. The pace of change in the field of employment law can make it hard to keep up with what’s happening, and this is made harder by the complex tapestry of legal sources […]

In 2003, a nineteen-year-old man began employment as a trainee accountant with a major accounting firm in Perth, under an employment contract that included a post-employment restraint clause.

Restraint of trade clauses are often included by employers to protect their client relationships should an employee leave and start up work in competition.

However, clauses of this nature are not always easy to enforce, because the law recognises that it is not in the public interest to hinder a person’s ability to earn a living or to restrict healthy competition between businesses.

The onus to prove that a particular restraint clause is “reasonably necessary” to protect “legitimate business interests” therefore rests with the employer.

A case in NSW centred on the question of whether a hospital was liable for a patient developing an infection after surgery.

On 7 June 2010, a woman attended a hospital for the repair of an incisional hernia that had developed at the site of her caesarean section wound, following the birth of her third child at the end of 2009.

The patient was admitted for surgery by a senior surgeon, but underwent the hernia repair at the hands of a junior surgeon, with the senior surgeon present to assist. The hernia was repaired and surgical mesh was placed over the hernia site.

A case heard in Queensland revolved around alleged copyright infringement of building plans.

A couple owned a block of land in Port Douglas, Queensland, and set out to build an architecturally unique house on the land.

They engaged a building designer to assist and sent an email to the designer with their ideas for the house, which included proposed specifications, four pages of draft floor plans and two photographs of houses illustrating the architectural style the couple had in mind.

The building designer prepared detailed plans (“the building plans”) and the couple engaged a builder to undertake the construction. Sometime after the house was built, the couple listed the property for sale and sold it to a new owner.

A case that went all the way to the High Court revolved around the question of whether a binding financial agreement (prenup) was signed under duress.

A couple became acquainted on the internet via a website for potential brides. He was a wealthy property developer, an older man who had previously been married and who had three adult children from his first marriage. His family was in Australia, as were his assets, which were worth between $18-$24 million.

She was an Eastern European woman who was much younger than him, had been married and divorced, had no children and wanted to have children of her own. She had no assets, spoke little English and her family lived overseas. She had no connections or community in Australia.

The couple met overseas in person shortly after making contact via the website. He took her on an extended European holiday and met her family. Seven months after they met, the couple moved to Australia with the intention of getting married.

Jumping castle an attraction at school event Although more than three years have passed since the Tasmanian jumping castle accident, the tragedy is still fresh in our minds. On 16 December 2021 there was an event, the “Big Day In” at Hillcrest Public School in Devonport, on the north coast of Tasmania. The weather was […]

A case in NSW revolved around the question of whether a note on a mobile phone should be admitted to probate as an informal will.

A 79-year-old man had an estate worth $13.6 million.

He had no surviving dependants and lived alone, but maintained close relationships with his older brother and with his best friend, who had become like a son to him.

For years, the man’s solicitor had “badgered” him to make a will, but he kept putting it off, saying he didn’t know what to do with his money.

On 4 August 2022, the man had a severe diabetic episode in the middle of the night and called an ambulance, as well as calling his best friend, who drove to the man’s house.

After the paramedics left at around 3:30am, the man’s friend told him he needed to “put in writing what his intentions were with his property” because “none of us know when we’re going to go.”

NSW firefighters face a higher cancer risk than the general population and they need to be aware there are special avenues for them to claim workers compensation entitlements. Cancer risk for firefighters significantly higher than for general population A study by Monash University found the overall cancer rates for full-time firefighters were significantly higher than […]