Which practice areas are driving growth at Aussie law firms? Thomson Reuters' new report shows demand growth is up 10.2% in FY26, led by workplace relations (+8.5%) and corporate general (+8.0%). M&A is the outlier, with demand down 5.7%, and a rebound still nowhere in sight: Point Blank

⚖️ Litigation: Across NSW, SA, Victoria, WA, Queensland and the Federal Court, new practice notes now regulate how lawyers use Gen AI in litigation, and the rules differ by jurisdiction. Everywhere, AI output must be independently verified, confidential or privileged material must stay out of public AI tools, and responsibility for what's filed stays with the human lawyer. The main split is disclosure. NSW is strictest: affidavits can't be AI-drafted at all, and experts need the court's leave before using Gen AI. The Federal Court, Victoria, SA and WA only require disclosure if asked. Queensland goes narrowest, regulating Gen AI only insofar as it requires lawyers to verify their citations are accurate: Clayton Utz

⚖️ Insolvency: In Australian Agricultural Opportunities v Agripower Australia, the Federal Court terminated a DOCA under s 445D of the Corporations Act. The administrators' report had failed to disclose that the director, who'd propounded the DOCA himself, had been negotiating significant capital raising for months before the second creditors' meeting. The court found that omission was material and likely influenced how at least some creditors voted, satisfying s 445D(1)(c). The DOCA was also terminated under s 445D(1)(g) — letting the DOCA stand would've shielded the director from a liquidator scrutinising the very insolvent trading and breach of duty claims flagged in the report: Federal Court of Australia, Ashurst Perkins Coie

⚖️ Finance: G+T has put out a deep dive on Australia's leveraged finance market. Lenders competing for mandates, plus pressure from offshore markets, means terms considered aggressive five years ago are now standard. Sponsors are winning bigger EBITDA adjustments, fewer certification requirements, and more cov-lite deals (no financial covenant on the term loan). Borrowers also have more room to raise extra debt, but the intercreditor documents needed to actually use it haven't caught up. Portability, which lets debt survive a change of control, is becoming more common too, though buyers rarely end up using it once it's there: Gilbert + Tobin

Remember that really cool and mysterious new legal tech company, Atto?

Find out what they actually do on 22 October.

Atto's launch day for Sydney's legal and legal tech crowd.

BRUNCH & THE BIG SCREEN

A film, brunch and a conversation with the founding team. Open to the legal and legal-tech community.

Pick your session: 10–11am or 12–1pm.

Thursday, 22 October | Sydney

Register now →

Trump's latest vote-buying scheme: a US$5k "Trump dividend" cheque to every US citizen if Republicans hold Congress in November's midterms. It's only going to cost about US$1.2tn, on top of a national debt already over US$40tn… The Guardian

Victoria's plan to legally guarantee work-from-home rights has stalled. The Coalition and crossbench voted to send Premier Ben Carroll's bill to a committee instead of passing it, even after he'd offered business groups concessions. The committee won't report until October 20: AFR

🦷 National Dental Care and Dental Boutique have both hit the market through Morgan Stanley, each tipped to fetch north of $500m. Blackstone, Carlyle, CVC and Bain are all expected to circle: The Australian

⛏️ St Barbara has sold its remaining 40% stake in PNG's Simberi gold mine to Chinese state-backed Lingbao Gold for $453m, taking total sale proceeds from Lingbao and PNG's Kumul to $942m: AFR

🍽️ First Table, the Kiwi platform that sells diners 50% off their food bill at off-peak restaurant sittings, has banked a $10m raise to chase Australian growth as local restaurants close down at twice the wider economy's rate: Capital Brief