👋 G’day
Today’s brief:
UniMelb cracks top 10 law schools
Court settles a $100m typo error
Bankers’ bonuses up 10-20%
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WORD ON THE STREET

Law schools ranked

Law school rankings are out, and UniMelb is back in the global elite. It jumped three spots to #8 in the 2026 Times law rankings. UNSW (+6), Monash (+18) and UTS (+12) climbed, while ANU, QUT and UQ all slid back. UniMelb’s climb can be attributed to a standout research environment score. Where did your school rank? Point Blank
Canberra is hunting a new solicitor-general, with Stephen Donaghue KC off to the Victorian Court of Appeal and a tight shortlist emerging. Ruth Higgins SC leads the chatter, with Zelie Heger SC, Kathleen Foley SC, Perry Herzfeld SC and Brendan Lim SC also in frame. Big constitutional fights, heavy politics, and real momentum to appoint a woman: AFR
Prominent Sydney silk, Mark Dennis SC, has been arrested at Sydney Airport after returning from Cambodia and charged with child abuse material offences. Prosecutors described the alleged chats as “very disturbing”. He’s been granted bail under strict conditions and will cease practice while the matter proceeds. No plea entered. Court returns in March: The Australian
Hicksons has promoted 10 lawyers this Jan, with four senior associates and six associates stepping up. It lands months after the firms’ strategic tie-ups, signalling a deeper bench in health, litigation and workers’ comp as the mid-tier sharpens for national growth: Hicksons

PRACTICE POINTS

$100m typo
⚖️ Disputes/Contract: The Supreme Court of NSW has defused a dispute over an alleged $100m drafting mistake in FX Group Holdings v Perpetual, arising from a private equity exit funded by vendor finance. The deal was meant to work simply: the buyer would repay about $150m in vendor loans from dividends, then share any “super returns” above $25m with the vendors for a set period. But a clumsily drafted definition of “Equity Proceeds” arguably let the buyer deduct the vendor loan twice before sharing profits, wiping out what the vendors said was roughly $100m in upside. The Court rejected that construction, holding it cut across the commercial deal and the Heads of Agreement. Rees J also made clear that, if needed, the contract would have been rectified for unilateral mistake: HSF Kramer
⚖️ Governance: The Australasian Investor Relations Association and Governance Institute of Australia have refreshed their good practice principles on handling confidential, market-sensitive information. The guidance zeroes in on practical controls, clear internal policies, tight insider lists for confidential transactions, and contractual confidentiality and trading restrictions baked into director, employee and contractor arrangements. It also calls for disciplined wall-crossing, tracking who is brought “inside”, when and why, and early use of NDAs before engaging advisers, investors or counterparties. Advisers are also expected to run robust internal barriers to prevent staff trading on inside knowledge.
⚖️ Employment: Federal Court of Australia has pulled the plug on a blockbuster General Protections claim, overturning an earlier $5.2m win and dismissing a $55m case against Technology One after six years of litigation. On re-trial, the Court found the dismissal was about performance, not disability, workplace rights or incentive entitlements. Crucially, the employer discharged the reverse onus by leading clear evidence that explains the real reasons for termination. Costs are still live, with the prospect of adverse costs in the millions looming, a rarity under the FW Act: Wotton Kearney

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TALKING POINTS

Coalition cracks

Did you hear…
There’s trouble in paradise. The Nationals have walked from the Coalition, with leader David Littleproud saying they can’t serve under Sussan Ley. The blow-up follows the hate speech vote, where Ley backed the bill and refused to reinstate dumped Nationals senators. Littleproud says the party was forced into an “untenable position”: Capital Brief
Also…
Donald Trump has backed off his threat to impose tariffs on European countries resisting his push over Greenland. Trump claims a loose “framework” for a future deal is in place. But Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen made clear it’s obvious Trump hasn’t given up on his ambition to gain control of Greenland, which still remains “a red line for the Kingdom of Denmark”: Bloomberg

DEAL ROOM

Takeover twists
⛽️ Australian Strategic Materials jumped 120% after Energy Fuels’ ~$530m takeover bid. But in a turn of events, the US buyer is already flagging it may ditch ASM’s $740m Dubbo refinery. Energy Fuels says ore could be sent to its Utah plant instead, putting Australian processing plans in doubt as FIRB weighs in. A&O Shearman is acting for ASM, while HSF Kramer is repping Energy Fuels: AFR
📺 Netflix has flipped its Warner Bros bid to all-cash at $27.75 a share, keeping the $82.7bn price tag intact to shut down Paramount’s hostile noise. The move locks in board backing and accelerates the shareholder vote, trading stock-price uncertainty for certainty of funds as the bidding war continues: Reuters

SECTOR SNAPSHOT

Bankers cash in


DIGGERS
🚜 The Trump administration has fast-tracked deep-sea mining, with NOAA halving permit timelines to unlock polymetallic nodules rich in copper, nickel and manganese. Backed by players like The Metals Company, the move aims to counter China on critical minerals, but risks legal clashes with the International Seabed Authority over mining beyond US waters: Mining.com

FIN
🏦 Citigroup’s Aussie bankers are cashing in. Bonuses for associates and VPs are up 10–20%, juiced by a rebound in deals and a weaker Aussie dollar. Advisory fees surged on big-ticket mandates, turning a solid year on Wall Street into fatter envelopes in Sydney: AFR

RETAIL + REAL ESTATE
🏠 Australia’s hotel recovery is sticking. Occupancy lifted through 2025 and is tracking higher into 2026, driven by major events, stronger corporate travel and teams travelling to meet in person. Perth led gains, Melbourne spiked on the Australian Open, while hoteliers like IHG warn geopolitical shocks could reshape travel: AFR

TECH + STARTUPS
📱 Agentic AI rattled software stocks this week after Anthropic launched Claude Cowork, triggering the worst start to the year for SaaS since 2022. Aussie VCs aren’t dumping SaaS, but admit the model is resetting fast: pricing shifts from seats to output, moats move to data and distribution, and thin workflow software looks exposed: Capital Brief

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