Clifford Chance unveils new rebrand

Lawyers smash pro bono record

Murdochs tipped in TikTok bid

Who wins the grad pay fight? Fresh figures show finance grads snag the biggest pay at $123k, way ahead of law ($100k), consulting ($101k) and accounting ($69k). Top IBs are shelling out up to $196k, while top-tier firms cap at $130k. The twist? Hourly rates. With bankers grinding 80–100 hours, law grads actually win on pay per hour worked. Check out our full post here.

Clifford Chance has unveiled a refreshed brand, pitched as capturing the “essence” of the firm and doubling down on its client-first mantra. The rebrand leans on CC’s global scale, market smarts and sector know-how, with the promise of forward-thinking insights and actionable solutions to keep clients a step ahead: Clifford Chance

Following its Aussie ally Allens, Linklaters has gone firmwide with Legora, rolling the genAI tool out across its 30 offices. The Magic Circle giant already runs its own AI suite (chatbot Laila, ReportIQ, CreateiQ 2.0), but this move gives Legora a major global boost as it battles rivals like Harvey: Artificial Lawyer

Aussie lawyers racked up 845k pro bono hours in FY25, up 8% year-on-year, with each lawyer averaging 42.3 hours – smashing the 35-hour national target and marking a record high. Small-firm lawyers led the charge with 51 hours each, while large-firm lawyers averaged 41.7: Australasian Lawyer

The QLD Supreme Court enforced a 12-month, 50km restraint against IVF specialist Dr Simone Campbell after she left City Fertility for rival Queensland Fertility Group just 2 weeks after terminating her contract. She claimed City Fertility underpaid cycle management fees and that this breach freed her to join rival Queensland Fertility Group. But the Court found the alleged $17k underpayment was really only $7k — too minor to justify termination. With no valid termination, the restraint stood. In fact, the Court found the restraint reasonable: most patients lived within 50km of City Fertility’s Brisbane clinics, relationships typically lasted years, and the 12-month limit gave the clinic time to replace Dr Campbell and redistribute patients. The Court granted an injunction, barring her from practising within 50km of City Fertility clinics for 12 months - an unusual result given restraints are rarely enforced: Hall & Wilcox

Private credit is bracing for tougher scrutiny, with the $20bn sector pledging to lift disclosures before ASIC drops final findings in November. ASIC’s interim report on the sector flagged poor disclosure, conflicted rem, valuation gaps and related party risks, warning legal action is on the table. Well, now the Financial Services Council is looking to release “industry standards” to head off heavy-handed regulation. Firms are on notice: fix disclosures, align distribution, and build investor confidence before the regulator does it for you: FSC, The Australian

Sam and Brittany Groth have sued the Herald Sun, its editor and a reporter, alleging defamation and Australia’s first claim under the new statutory tort for serious invasions of privacy. The case centres on articles suggesting their relationship began when Brittany was under 18, which they say was a reckless invasion of her privacy as an alleged child victim. To succeed, the Groths must show a reasonable expectation of privacy, an intentional or reckless invasion, that it was serious, and that privacy outweighs media “public interest.” The Herald Sun is expected to rely on the journalistic exemption. The Court’s interpretation could set the benchmark for privacy claims against media: Addisons

Fresh uni grads enjoy a 34% pay boost over 3 years. In 2021, domestic grads started on $65.8k on average, but by 2024 their pay hit $88.1k. Master’s grads also climbed, from $100k to $122.8k in three years, though that’s a smaller 22.8% lift. But with degrees now costing $50k+, enrolments are slipping, especially for women: AFR

Chris Bowen has refused to budge beyond Labor’s 82% renewables by 2030 target, brushing off the Climate Change Authority’s 90% roadmap as “commentary.” The CCA wants wind quadrupled, solar tripled, and half of new cars electric by 2035, but Bowen says plans will be updated “as we go.” Ted O’Brien called the stance “unacceptable,” while Kristy McBain pitched it as a “team Australia” effort: AFR

Queensland has become the first state to outlaw pill testing, including at festivals, scrapping services introduced in 2024. The LNP government has already shut two sites and passed laws banning future approvals. Tim Nicholls says there’s “no safe way to take drugs,” but critics like Steven Miles warn the ban “will cost lives”: TDA

TikTok: Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch have been tipped by President Trump as likely players in the US-led consortium set to buy TikTok’s American arm. The deal, involving Fox Corp alongside Oracle and Dell, would put control of TikTok’s data and algorithm in US hands. Trump says Xi Jinping has agreed in principle, though details remain murky: The Guardian

Northern Star: bankers are lining up as Gold Fields prepares to offload its $1.1bn (4.5% stake) inherited via its $3.6bn Gold Road buyout. JPMorgan is tipped to run the block trade, which should see heavy demand with gold topping $5k an ounce and Northern Star shares already up 8% this week: The Australian

Healius: held merger talks with 4Cyte Pathology, but walked after finding earnings too thin. 4Cyte, once a 5% holder, has sold out to John Wylie’s Tanarra, now sitting on 19.8% and eyeing influence: The Australian

Queensland is set to throw miners a lifeline – just not on coal royalties. Premier David Crisafulli will rule out tinkering with the state’s aggressive 2022 royalty regime (which takes a 7% cut on coal), despite industry pressure after more than 1200 job cuts last week. Instead, relief will likely come through lower-profile costs like utilities, lease rentals or supply deals: AFR

Mitsui’s new Australia chief says Canberra’s 2035 climate targets make the country more attractive for LNG investment, calling gas the “intermediate solution” to net zero. Backed by record local spending this year, Mitsui plans to expand WA gas projects, citing rising Japanese demand and valuing Australia’s stability even as debate over an east coast gas reservation heats up: AFR

Two ex-NAB bankers have landed ASIC’s first licence for a stablecoin, green-lighting AUDM as a regulated payment facility. Every coin will be backed 1:1 by AUD at NAB, with monthly reserve checks. It puts AUDM ahead of rivals like ANZ’s A$DC and Novatti’s AUDD, as Canberra drafts new digital asset laws: AFR*

Regional banks are pushing Treasury to revive a rural banking levy, with a new plan that would see the nine biggest lenders tip in $153m a year to subsidise smaller rivals’ branches. The model funds $300k per branch, covering about a third of costs, to help keep 5000 staff in 5000 locations. Majors have shut 90+ branches since 2022, fuelling political heat: AFR

Virgin Australia’s Velocity members can now use points to shop at Myer, in-store or online. Boss Nick Rohrlach says non-flight redemptions are up 40% in a year, with partners like Didi and 7-Eleven also in the mix. It’s a play to bulk up Velocity earnings and keep pace with Qantas Loyalty: AFR

Lendlease’s $2bn industrial trust remains stuck after a vote to sack it as manager was adjourned when Hostplus and Unisuper’s push for Mirvac failed to reach a quorum. With 38% backing, the super funds are frustrated by liquidity woes, but Lendlease leaned on high quorum rules to stall. Another showdown looms on 24 Sept, leaving its $10bn APPF empire in limbo: Real Commercial

Meta is demanding Apple hand over users’ private Wi-Fi histories and notification contents under Europe’s Digital Markets Act, sparking a furious reaction from Apple. Apple says Brussels is forcing it to “redesign products” and surrender IP, risking privacy and killing innovation. Features like Live Translation are already withheld in Europe, and Apple warns the ACCC could follow suit: The Australian

Optus faces $250k fines per missed triple-0 call after last week’s 13-hour outage left 624 calls unanswered and has been linked to four deaths. PM Albo called the failure “unacceptable” and said he’d be “surprised” if CEO Stephen Rue wasn’t reconsidering his position: The Australian