HSF Kramer's first results as a combined firm are in: US$2.407bn revenue, more than double the synergy target. PEP landed at US$2.05m, still trailing A&O Shearman and Clifford Chance. The firm's now doubling down on America — it recently poached US partners from White & Case and Paul Hastings and is now eyeing growth in Texas, DC and Silicon Valley: Point Blank

⚖️ Copyright: A US federal judge has approved Anthropic's US$1.5bn settlement with authors who accused it of using pirated books to train Claude, the largest copyright payout in US history. Judge Araceli Martinez-Olguin rejected objections that the deal was too small, finding they weren't realistic about the risks of going to trial. The Court's finding still stands: training AI on books is fair use, but Anthropic breached rights by stockpiling over 7 million pirated books in a "central library". Some authors opted out and are pursuing separate claims. Plaintiffs' lawyers were awarded US$101m in fees, well below the US$187.5m sought: Reuters

⚖️ Corporate: ASX's Advisory Group has released the draft 5th edition of the Corporate Governance Principles, set to apply for financial years starting 1 July 2027. The eight Principles stay intact, but new Recommendations require disclosure on stakeholder engagement (3.1), auditor tenure (4.3) and board oversight of culture (3.3). On risk, Recommendation 7.2 now requires boards to actively review risk and internal control frameworks, not merely satisfy themselves they're sound — a shift off the back of Star Entertainment's liability judgment. The mandatory board skills matrix also becomes optional. Submissions close 14 September 2026: HSF Krsamer

⚖️ Insolvency/Evidence: Liquidators for Empire Consortium sued Nationwide Plant Hire for over $1.6m, pointing to two suspicious credit entries ($795k and $842k) made just before appointment that wiped Nationwide's debt on the books. Derrington J dismissed the claim. Book entries carry prima facie weight under s 1305 of the Corps Act. So, a nil balance needs real evidence to displace it, not just suspicious timing. The Court also confirmed Jones v Dunkel can't fill evidentiary gaps. The liquidators had MYOB source documents available but chose not to adduce them, and the Court wouldn't let an adverse inference cover for that forensic decision: Piper Alderman

We're reaching the final stage of this year's clerkship application season, as the Perth offices of many firms closed their application windows last Friday. Law students in Brisbane and Melbourne now have just two more weeks to finalise their application and submit them to their preferred firms.

Throughout the recruitment season, Clayton Utz are posting heaps of tips and advice on their Instagram account. Send this link to a law student applying for clerkships this year to share some expert advice from Clayton Utz recruiters and graduates.

Follow @claytonutzgraduates: https://bit.ly/4ewxhho

New Capital Brief/DemosAU polling has One Nation on track to snatch 53 to 66 seats if an election were held today. It rivals Labor's projected 60 to 72 seats, less than the 76 needed to form a majority government. Regional and outer metro voters are abandoning both majors, and the modelling even has Angus Taylor and Andrew Hastie losing their own seats: Capital Brief

Labor's national conference backed a bunch of union amendments to the Fair Work Act. Same job, same pay laws get wider reach, unions get easier access to multi-employer bargaining, and lockouts can't run longer than the strike they're responding to. The SDA is also chasing a "time dividend": extra annual leave or a shorter week, handed back to workers as AI lifts productivity: AFR

🎬 Paramount Skydance has agreed to pause its US$110bn tilt at Warner Bros. Discovery until a court rules on a challenge by California and 11 other states. The pause isn't free though, Paramount could be up for US$1.7bn in ticking fees if things drag out to next June: Reuters

⛏️ Evolution Mining is snapping up ASX-listed Carnaby Resources in an all-scrip deal worth $213m, offering 0.0682 Evolution shares per Carnaby share (77c a share). Allens is acting for Evolution and Steinepreis Paganin is repping Carnaby: Evolution, Carnaby

💻 Monvia popped 1.82% on its ASX debut, closing at $1.12 under ticker “MNV”. The insurance tech company, which builds mission-critical software for regulatory and actuarial processes, raised $17.5m through the IPO at a $103.5m market cap: Capital Brief