Morgan Stanley, Citigroup and Goldman Sachs want cheaper legal bills now that AI does the grunt work. Aussie firms like Keypoint Law and Thomsons are dabbling with new pricing too. But only 6% of firms globally are actually charging less. Looks like clients will have to force the issue themselves: Point Blank, FT

⚖️ Employment: Turns out the right to disconnect is a right to ignore, not a right to be left alone. The South Australian Employment Tribunal cleared a hair salon owner who bombarded apprentices with after-hours TikToks and non-urgent messages, in the first ruling on the laws since they hit small business last August. Deputy president Stephen Lieschke found that while the boss's disapproval created pressure to respond, there were no real consequences for staying silent, so staff could still disconnect. Unwelcome contact alone won't breach the laws. What matters is whether workers were actually prevented from ignoring it: AFR

⚖️ Privilege: In a fight over security for costs, CMC Markets was hit with a notice to produce 17 invoices it had relied on to justify its costs figures. But CMC refused to hand them over on privilege grounds. The Federal Court confirmed privilege can apply even when a document doesn't spell out a communication outright, so long as its content or nature can be inferred from it. The real test is whether disclosing the invoice would effectively waive privilege in the underlying advice it deals with. Here, CMC showed that the detailed time entries would let privileged communications be inferred, even without a line-by-line review. Jackman J accepted that was enough, so CMC kept the invoices under wraps: Federal Court of Australia

⚖️ Corporate: With AGM season approaching, it’s time for ASX-listed companies to get their houses in order. Beyond the usual board elections and remuneration votes, companies should check whether approvals like placement capacity, employee incentive schemes and proportional takeover provisions need renewing. There's a string of deadlines to track under the Corporations Act and ASX Listing Rules — from nomination cut-offs to holding the AGM within five months of year end. From 2025 season, we learned that shareholder engagement matters more than compliance alone, with institutional investors ditching proxy advisers for bespoke voting calls, especially on ESG and climate disclosures: HopgoodGanim

Need a break in proceedings? Step away and join us for a breakout session.

Legora is taking over Kiosk Salvador Coffee at 33 Alfred Street in Sydney CBD, with coffee flowing and cinnamon buns for the first 100 guests each morning. First come, first served, because a bun this good is worth being early for.

Wednesday, September 2 and Thursday, September 3, 8:30 to 11:00 am.

Register

Cigarette prices went up again as the excise indexed up, yet 80% of nicotine consumed in Australia is now illegal, per the ABS. So the fix on the table? Cut the tax. Angus Taylor's Coalition wants an 80% cut, One Nation wants 75% plus a freeze. Labor is holding firm on enforcement instead: TDA

Did you know NYC requires employers to disclose salary ranges or face fines up to US$250k? New York State has a similar law too, but its maximum penalty is just US$3k. Clearly not enough to sway Polymarket, Rillet and ButterflyMX, who posted job ads with zero salary info, got multiple warnings and still didn't bother fixing their ads: Business Insider

⚖️ According to HSF Kramer, bidders are ditching cosy schemes for hostile takeovers, with takeovers now used in 42% of deals, up from 29% in FY24. Tactics are getting cheekier too: think exploding offers (FleetPartners) and best-and-final ultimatums (Monash IVF): AFR

🏭 Private equity is circling ASX-listed industrial businesses, with Wilson Asset Management's Oscar Oberg calling it the busiest takeover stretch he's seen in his career, naming Reliance Worldwide, Cleanaway, Fleet Partners, Equity Trustees and Steadfast among the targets: Capital Brief

⛏️ Ramelius Resources is reportedly eyeing Northern Star's Carosue Dam gold mine, worth an estimated $800m, as activist investor Elliott Management (holding just under 5%) turns up the heat on Northern Star to offload assets: The Australian