Emma German traded deals at Mallesons for in-house life at Fuji Xerox, Stan and Paramount, before landing at the GWS Giants as its first-ever lawyer. Now she's on GWS' exec team — proof that there's no single blueprint for what an in-house career can look like. Read her interview here: Point Blank

⚖️ Contract: In Metro Environmental Logistics v Port Authority, MEL sued Port Authority of NSW for $300m after a proposed Glebe Island lease fell through. MEL claimed Port Authority acted unconscionably by imposing conditions precedent it could never satisfy, then terminating on that basis. The NSW Supreme Court disagreed. Brereton J found Port Authority's conduct 'reasonable and responsible', noting it had legitimate statutory interests to protect, MEL had legal and commercial advice throughout, and negotiations ran for months with terms amended in MEL's favour. Tough negotiating isn't unconscionable, even if one side ends up worse off: HWLE

⚖️ Corporate: Ms Kim was a co-director of JM World AU Pty Ltd alongside her husband, Mr Bak, but never got involved, leaving him to run everything. He signed a risky building contract and shifted $980k offshore, dodging creditors. She argued she knew nothing, and blamed PTSD and depression from a 2013 accident. The NSW Court of Appeal wasn't convinced: her ignorance was the breach, not an excuse, and her inactivity predated the accident anyway. The Court confirmed directors owe a non-delegable minimum standard of engagement, and relief under ss 1317S and 1318 stays discretionary, especially where creditors would be prejudiced: NSW Court of Appeal

⚖️ Consumer: Marshall Freeman Collections has paid $59.4k in penalties after the ACCC issued three infringement notices over its debt collection conduct. Between July 2024 and June 2025, the ACCC alleged Marshall Freeman harassed consumers by chasing payment without addressing their disputes or information requests, and sent letters falsely claiming it had creditor instructions to sue over the debts. Marshall Freeman has now given the ACCC a court-enforceable undertaking, admitting its conduct breached, or was likely to breach, the Australian Consumer Law. It's also committed to overhaul its dispute handling and bring in a formal compliance program: ACCC

Sydney lawyers, drinks are on us. 🍻

On Thursday, 27 August, SS&C Intralinks and Point Blank are hosting happy hour with Sydney’s legal crowd.

Come for a drink, meet some good people and swap billables for beverages.

Register now →

(Location drops the moment you register)

Pauline Hanson wants Aussies to raid their super for the mortgage, and Labor came out swinging. Albanese called compulsory super "an article of faith", while Angus Taylor says it's your money, so you should get to invest it how you like. While everyone’s fighting about super, a new survey found that two-thirds of young Aussies don't understand how super works: Capital Brief, AFR

Trump's knocked back extending the US-Iran truce that expired Monday. Oman is negotiating with Iran on how the Strait of Hormuz should be managed, while Trump threatened to bomb Oman if it "gets in the way". Brent crude jumped 8% in a week on the news: Bloomberg

💵 Alphabet is set to raise up to $5bn in its debut Aussie dollar bond offering this week, tapping ANZ, Deutsche Bank, RBC and TD Securities to run the show. It'd be Australia's largest ever corporate debt issuance, eclipsing Apple's $2.25bn effort back in 2015: Capital Brief

⛏️ OceanaGold is snapping up ASX-listed Ausgold for $776m, landing its first Australian foothold via the Katanning gold project in WA. Baker McKenzie is advising Ausgold and Corrs Chambers Westgarth is in OceanaGold's corner: ASX

🚗 FleetPartners has become the hottest target on the ASX, with Smartgroup and a second Japanese suitor reportedly eyeing bids on top of PEP's SG Fleet, Element Group and Orix: The Australian