Slater + Gordon posts 19% surge in profit

Social media ban High Court showdown

Humm faces looming board spill

Slater + Gordon has posted a 19% profit jump to $24.6m, its second straight year of growth since going private. Backed by Allegro Funds, the firm’s personal injury arm drove a 9% revenue lift to $253.9m. CEO Dina Tutungi called it a “strong” year despite the email leak saga: Point Blank

Kim Kardashian has revealed she failed the California bar exam, joking that she’s “not a lawyer yet — I just play a very well-dressed one on TV.” The reality star said “falling short isn’t failure — it’s fuel,” vowing to try again after six years of study. Her legal journey continues: Legal Cheek

In an interview with Law.com, Tony Damian called himself an “accidental M&A lawyer” — but his move to Ashurst is anything but. Joining in June after nearly 30 years at HSF Kramer, Damian now co-heads M&A in Australia alongside Neil Pathak, part of a hiring spree that’s lifted Ashurst to #2 in ANZ deal rankings: Law.com

WA Chief Justice Peter Quinlan has named nine new Senior Counsel for 2025, selected from 31 applicants. The group includes seven barristers and two prosecutors, with practices spanning commercial, criminal, native title and family law. Three of the new silks are women, joining WA’s top ranks: Point Blank

Employment: The FWC has ruled that looking for a new job isn’t a valid reason for dismissal, after a design firm fired an employee for exploring other roles. The worker was sacked when her employer found emails suggesting she was open to opportunities, but the FWC found no evidence of misconduct, noting she hadn’t breached confidentiality, used company time, or acted against her employer’s interests. The dismissal — made without a fair chance to respond — was deemed harsh, unjust and unreasonable, and the worker was awarded four weeks’ pay: Mondaq

IP/AI: As GenAI adoption surges, tough questions are emerging on who owns AI-generated work. Australia’s IP laws still require a human inventor or author, meaning purely machine-made output may fall outside patent or copyright protection. Businesses using GenAI should document human input, tighten contracts to secure ownership, and check tool licences to confirm who controls the output. Risks also extend to branding and training data, with AI models often using copyrighted material without consent, raising infringement exposure. With no “AI copyright exception” yet, data provenance and permissions are critical: Clifford Gouldson Lawyers

Unfair Contract: When are “deemed acceptance” clauses enforceable? Well, those sneaky clauses that say you agree to the terms by using the service are under fire. Courts and the ACL’s unfair contract terms regime don’t take kindly to fine print that binds people without clear consent. While acceptance can be inferred by conduct, recent cases show that courts are unwilling to enforce terms if the party wasn’t given enough time to consider them or the terms lack mutual agreement. Businesses relying on these clauses risk them being ruled unfair or misleading under the ACL, especially if terms aren’t transparent or clearly disclosed: HHG

The government’s plan to ban under-16s from social media under the Online Safety Act is facing a constitutional challenge. Critics argue that it blocks young Australians from political participation. Lawyers say the ban goes too far, shutting teens out of platforms where news, activism and debate happen, and that less restrictive options — like parental consent, safety-by-design and digital literacy programs — could achieve the same goal without silencing a generation: Digital Freedom Project

Tasmania has become the first state to offer financial compensation to people convicted under historic laws that criminalised homosexuality and cross-dressing. Payments go up to $75k. The move follows decades of advocacy and a 2020 review urging redress for those persecuted before homosexuality was decriminalised in 1997: TDA

ACCC’s: new merger regime has already drawn 300 merger notifications in four months—double expectations. Allens’ Felicity McMahon is saying that the regime captures far too many transactions compared to overseas. Investors are already over it — they’re pushing the government to delay the new merger regime by 6 months, warning unfinished rules could force simple deals to the regulator: AFR

AGL Energy: is offloading its 19.9% stake in Tilt Renewables to Future Fund and QIC for about $750m, marking the end of its decade-long hold. The move comes as gentailers ditch capital-heavy renewables from their books: AFR

Unions at Woodside’s $12.5bn Pluto 2 site are threatening Christmas strikes, rejecting Bechtel’s 8% pay rise and $10k bonus. The ETU and Offshore Alliance want 30% increases, calling the offer “sub-standard” — setting up a fiery showdown at WA’s biggest construction project: AFR

US giant Albemarle has ruled out reviving its mothballed Kemerton refinery, dashing hopes for a WA lithium processing rebound. CEO Kent Masters said reopening “is not the plan,” citing weak prices and high costs versus China. The move underscores the challenge for Australia’s critical minerals push, as MinRes eyes a sell-down of its lithium assets: AFR

Founder Andrew Abercrombie’s $286m bid for Humm has collapsed, sparking a shareholder revolt led by Jeremy Raper and Collins St Asset Management. The duo’s now pushing to spill the board, accusing directors of mishandling conflicts and undervaluing the company. Abercrombie’s seat could be on the line as tensions flare ahead of the AGM: AFR

Australia’s super giants now hold over half their assets offshore, with currency exposure rising to 22.8% according to NAB’s latest Super Insights survey. Despite a softer Aussie dollar, funds are ditching heavy hedging to chase global diversification and snapping up US tech, UK housing and private assets. Offshore holdings are now 51% of total portfolio holdings, up from 41% in 2019: Bloomberg

Singapore’s TCA has bought Monash University’s Docklands campus for $383m, marking Melbourne’s biggest CBD office deal in three years. The 10-year lease and land tax exemption helped attract foreign bidders. GPT’s $8.4bn fund sold the site as it rebalances its portfolio, with TCA calling Australia a “long-term strategic investment”: The Australian

Data centre developer Goodman Group dodges a second strike - it looks like it’s set to avoid a board spill after billionaire CEO Greg Goodman’s pay was cut from $26.7m to $20.3m, easing investor backlash. Despite ACSI and Ownership Matters urging funds to vote against the pay plan, proxy support from CGI Glass Lewis and ISS swung sentiment: AFR

Disney is losing about US$30m in revenue each week as its channels remain off YouTube TV, Morgan Stanley says. The dispute has blacked out ESPN and ABC since Oct 30, stitching up sports fans. YouTube is also feeling the pain, as Google offers $20 bill credits to appease YouTube TV subscribers: Business Insider

Google goes big on foldables. Google’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold is taking direct aim at Samsung’s Galaxy Fold 7, pitching itself as a bold, premium challenger in the foldable race. Priced from $2699, it’s built like a laptop and proudly bucks the trend toward ultra-thin phones, embracing Google’s new mantra that “big is beautiful”: The Australian