Ashurst’s merger with Perkins Coie might seem all fun & games, but it’s causing quite the stir in the States. More than 20 Perkins partners have jumped ship, with recruiters tipping there’s more to come. One partner called the merger a “monumental f*** up”, slamming Perkins management for not consulting the partnership. Instead, Perkins partners were told to “get on board”. On the Ashurst side, reports say there isn’t as much vocal opposition: Law.com

⚖️ Corporate/Tax: The Victorian Supreme Court has confirmed that changing a director can trigger landholder duty, even if the land and units stay put. In Tao v Commissioner of State Revenue, the Court upheld the SRO’s use of s 82 of the Duties Act as a stand-alone head of duty, not merely an anti-avoidance tool. Mr Tao became the sole shareholder and sole director of a trustee company holding Victorian land, without acquiring additional units, yet that was enough to amount to an acquisition of control. The Court accepted that “control” captures practical influence, and while VCAT reduced the deemed acquisition from 100% to 85% to reflect pre-existing economic interests, the duty still applied.

⚖️ Employment: The Fair Work Commission has upheld an employer’s refusal of a flexible work request, finding it was backed by reasonable business grounds. A utility trade worker sought to work remotely one week per month to spend more time with his school-aged children. The employer refused. The FWC found the request was effectively about family time, not carer’s responsibilities, and therefore not sufficiently linked to a recognised circumstance under the Fair Work Act. The Commission also recognised the employer’s operational concerns - around 80% of the role required on-site attendance, and granting the request would have forced other staff to cover inspections, triggering operational disruption and added cost: Allens

⚖️ Consumer: The ACCC has made it clear that businesses deploying AI chatbots remain bound by the ACL, particularly in high-risk areas like refunds, returns and consumer guarantees. AI-generated responses that misstate statutory rights may amount to misleading or deceptive conduct, exposing businesses to enforcement action. Businesses using chatbots must put in place safeguards to prevent misleading or incomplete responses, the capability limits of the chatbot should be clearly disclosed to consumers, and customer interactions should be actively monitored: Lander & Rogers

Sydney protesters are preparing to sue police over alleged brutality at the anti-Herzog rally, but any path to compensation is bumpier than usual. A section of the 2009 Major Events Act lets the government grant police extra powers and suggests “compensation is not payable” for actions during declared events – but that may very well be tested as the right to protest and police response is under close scrutiny: The Guardian, ABC News

It’s official - AI is taking over. StackBlitz CEO Eric Simons says he wants more AI agents than human employees this year. Simons is “going all in on agents”, deploying internally built AI systems across coding, product, sales and support. e predicts your AI agent will negotiate prices, book restaurants and even argue politics on your behalf. “Agents are an extension of yourself”: Business Insider

🚛 Macquarie-led consortium locks in A$11.7bn Qube deal, with Allens acting for Qube and Gilbert + Tobin for the bidder. Qube, Australia’s largest logistics service, has inked a scheme deed with a consortium led by Macquarie Asset Management, offering $5.20 per share (ex-UniSuper). That’s a 27.8% premium to the pre-announcement price. UniSuper will roll its 15.07% stake. Vote expected June 2026: ASX

🏦 Brookfield & GIC line up A$2.77bn loan for National Storage take-private. The consortium is tapping a club of banks, including DBS Group, National Australia Bank and United Overseas Bank, to underwrite multi-tranche debt across three- and five-year tenors, backing the ~$4bn acquisition of National Storage REIT: Bloomberg