Aussie solicitor numbers have rocketed from 19,000 in 1987 to 114,000 today, smashing overall workforce growth 4x over. But with top firms leaning hard into AI, and self-repped Aussies already flooding the Fair Work Commission with AI assisted claims, that 40-year winning streak might finally be facing its toughest opponent yet: Point Blank

⚖️ Corporate: HSF Kramer Chair Rebecca Maslen-Stannage used her 2026 Bathurst Lecture to unpack why listed directors want out. HSFK's survey of ASX200 Chairs found 58% would rather chair a private capital board, with 85% worried about litigation risk and a third eyeing the exit over liability alone. She points to the cumulative squeeze of ‘stepping stone' liability since Cassimatis, rising derivative actions (eg, the failed SkyCity bid), and board compliance time doubling to 55% in a decade. Her ask isn't less accountability: it's more targeted regulation, faster judgments from the Courts, and regulators like ASIC giving clearer guidance instead of litigating at the edges: HSF Kramer

⚖️ Competition: The Australian Government has passed changes to the merger control regime, effective 10 September 2026. Acquisitions that should've been notified to the ACCC but weren't are no longer automatically void, they're voidable, and only if the Federal Court grants a declaration on the ACCC's application. Courts can also order divestitures or injunctions to freeze deals mid-review. There's a new mechanism letting parties seek six-month extensions before ACCC approvals go 'stale' after 12 months. Separately, a narrower 'associate' test now looks at real practical control, not just Corporations Act ties, when assessing joint control: Gilbert + Tobin

⚖️ Tech: The Australian Government has released exposure draft legislation for a new 'digital duty of care', requiring online service providers to take reasonable steps to keep users safe. Providers must shield everyone from seriously harmful content and give children extra protection from design features like recommender engines and endless feeds. The flagship 'My Feed, My Way' initiative would force social platforms to let users opt out of algorithmic recommendations altogether. Penalties reach a staggering $109m. Consultation closes 22 September 2026, with the Government pushing to introduce the Bill to Parliament this year: Mallesons

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei just published a 3,800 word essay arguing the industry needs to hit the brakes on AI development. Sam Altman and Elon Musk both backed him within hours. Trump, unbothered, told reporters in Ireland he's not interested in guardrails, insisting the US is beating China and "whoever wins AI wins": Dario Amodei, AFR, FT

One Nation wants to cut 750,000 temporary visa holders over three years, capping international student visas at 100,000 a year and axing secondary visas for skilled migrants' family members. Hanson, soaring in the polls, says Australians have had enough of mass migration: AFR

📈 Anthropic has picked Nasdaq for its float. The target is to raise as much as or more than SpaceX's record US$86.3bn offering in June. Reuters reckons Nvidia's circling as an anchor investor, ready to tip in up to US$10bn: Bloomberg, Reuters

👗 Cue Clothing's sale is stalling, with CEO Melanie Remai and CFO Josephine Barbaro both quitting within months of each other. Owner Hilco's FTI-run process has drawn interest in the revamped brands but buyers are spooked by long store leases: AFR

💰 Crimson Education's hostile tilt at Kip McGrath is gathering steam. Founder Kip McGrath and Pie Funds have accepted the 73c bid, handing Crimson roughly 31%. Harvest Lane's signed a letter of intent too, unless a rival bid emerges: AFR