A former Baker McKenzie associate has sued the firm and its Washington DC office head, alleging sexual assault. She claims the firm knew and failed to act. Baker McKenzie and the office head are separately pursuing a defamation case over her LinkedIn posts that claimed cover-ups: Bloomberg Law

⚖️ Disputes: The Federal Court has pulled apart an arbitration clause in AghaeiRad v Plus500. The Court refused a stay to a consumer class action, letting the class action run in court despite a multi-step dispute process requiring arbitration. The case stems from claims of misleading and unconscionable conduct on an online CFD trading platform. While the Court accepted the clause was agreed and the dispute was commercial, it still found the arbitration requirement unfair. The problem was transparency: the clause didn’t clearly spell out that arbitration would block court proceedings and class actions, or that the costs made arbitration unrealistic for small claims: Piper Alderman

⚖️ Employment: Full Federal Court of Australia has confirmed that franchisors can be on the hook for franchisee underpayments and workplace breaches, unless they can rebut a reverse onus, particularly where they had actual or constructive knowledge. Treating the network as arm’s-length won’t cut it. Modern data and reporting systems that track labour costs, hours and performance can establish knowledge and influence, and if red flags aren’t acted on, they can become evidence. The risk spikes when franchisees are in financial distress or insolvency: Colin Biggers & Paisley

⚖️ Merger laws: ACCC has quietly updated its merger reform FAQs, adding practical colour on how notification waivers actually work under the new regime. The guidance drills into which deals are suitable for a waiver, what parties should expect once an application is lodged, and what the ACCC says is working well so far, including clearer deal rationales and tighter submissions. There’s also sharper direction on how to identify and handle confidential information in both notifications and waiver requests: ACCC

The Law Council of Australia told parliament the hate groups bill was constitutionally shaky from day one, flagging no judicial oversight, curtailed natural justice and retrospective reach. It pushed for court confirmation of bans, warning minister-led proscriptions risk a High Court smackdown. With Hizb ut-Tahrir already teeing up a challenge, that warning looks prescient: The Australian

Donald Trump has sued JPMorgan Chase and CEO Jamie Dimon for $5bn+, alleging politically motivated “debanking” after January 6. The bank says it exited for regulatory risk, not politics. Expect lawyers to watch this closely, it tees up fights over bank discretion, alleged blacklists, and whether “debanking” becomes the next front in US financial regulation and culture wars: Business Insider

🏆 Wyloo has more than doubled its stake in Greatland Resources to 18.3%, exercising an option to buy Newmont’s holding at $3 a share. With Greatland trading around $13.35, the move hands Andrew and Nicola Forrest an on-paper ~$680m uplift as gold prices soar: The Australian

⛏️ Tahmoor coal mine is officially up for sale, with administrators launching a fresh process for the mothballed coking coal mine. Distressed debt heavyweight Oaktree is watching closely and has roped in White & Case as interest builds from miners and private credit: AFR