Legal AI heavyweight Harvey has inked its first brand deal with Gabriel Macht, aka Harvey Specter from Suits - the namesake of the company. The move, alongside the launch of @askharvey on Instagram, signals a shift from enterprise-only focus to mainstream brand building. As rivals like Legora ramp up visibility too, legal AI is fast becoming a branding battle: NB

⚖️ Competition/Consumer: The ACCC wrapped 2025 in full enforcement mode, pivoting from consultation to courtroom in franchising, retail and mergers, while quietly reshaping digital and data oversight. Maddocks’ 10^th Watchdog Recap tracks infringement notices under the revamped Franchising Code, a $1.5m contempt penalty against Ultra Tune, sharper action on subscription traps and pricing claims, and steady pressure on supermarkets and energy retailers amid cost-of-living scrutiny: Maddocks

⚖️ Disputes/Tort: The High Court has clarified the law of private nuisance, reinstating liability against Transport for NSW and drawing a bright line between nuisance and negligence. In Hunt Leather Pty Ltd v Transport for NSW, the Court confirmed the starting point is substantial interference with land. Once that’s shown, the onus shifts to the defendant to prove its use was “common and ordinary” and “conveniently done.” Even reasonable care won’t be enough if the interference wasn’t minimised with proper regard to the plaintiff’s interests. The Court rejected any need for plaintiffs to prove a counterfactual construction plan, and dismissed statutory authority arguments where the nuisance flowed from planning choices and delay, not inevitability.

⚖️ Regulatory: The Albo Government has tabled the Corporations Amendment (Digital Assets Framework) Bill 2025, marking Australia’s most concrete move yet to pull digital asset intermediaries within the Corp Act. The Bill creates two new financial products, Digital Asset Platforms (DAPs) and Tokenised Custody Platforms (TCPs), capturing exchanges, brokers, custodians and tokenisation models, without automatically deeming crypto itself a financial product. Operators would face tailored licensing, asset-holding standards, platform rules with contractual force, and mandatory disclosure guides, alongside ASIC-set custody and reconciliation standards: Ashurst

As layoffs bite and wellness perks disappear, one indulgence is thriving - and getting fancier. From Mediterranean lamb and pear mousse at Meta to smoothie bars and rotating menus at KKR, corporate catering is booming as firms use food to lure talent and drive return-to-office compliance. Consultants say it’s a cheap morale win compared to bonuses, while studies show workers prefer food perks over gym memberships: Business Insider

Aussie metro universities, including the USyd, have over-enrolled domestic students ahead of the Albo’s hard caps kicking in from 2027. Sydney’s undergrad intake is up 5%, with law surging 25%, driven by higher acceptance rates and guaranteed ATAR entry pathways: AFR

🔧 Steel Dynamics/SGH sweeten BlueScope tilt to $15bn. Steel Dynamics and SGH have lobbed a “best and final” all-cash offer of $32.35 per share, valuing BlueScope Steel at ~$15bn. The board is reviewing the revised bid after rejecting an earlier $29 per share proposal: The Australian

💊 Mayne fires back over $600m bust-up. Mayne Pharma has sued Cosette Pharmaceuticals, backer Avista Healthcare Partners, and Avista CEO David Burgstahler in the NSW Supreme Court, alleging breaches of the $7.40-a-share scheme deed and the inducement of those breaches. Mayne is seeking substantial damages after the takeover collapsed, where Treasurer Jim Chalmers ultimately blocked the deal on national interest grounds: Capital Brief, ASX

The ACCC is bigger, bolder and better funded.

In 2025, it shifted from regulatory guidance to hard enforcement, doubled down on pricing and subscription “blitzes” in retail, and laid the groundwork for unfair contract terms test cases.

Maddocks’ specialists have dropped a special 10^th anniversary wrap-up of the ACCC's high and low enforcement moments as part of their annual 12-article publication.

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