Legal500 accidentally published unredacted client reviews of dozens of top UK barristers, and they weren’t pretty. One was “sloppy”, another “disorganised and indecisive”, and one KC merely “adequate”. Asked about one silk, a reviewer praised the “impressive building and facilities” instead. Legal500 blamed an “error in the upload process” and quietly pulled them: AFR

Clayton Utz went shopping in Perth and came back with a whole firm. It’s swallowed boutique Chord Advisory and its ex-HSF Kramer crew led by David Hugo and Jason Ricketts. After four partners exited the Perth office, it’s clearly filling desks fast, having already pinched three partners from Allens: Point Blank

A former HWLE client who fought a $32k legal bill has lost his appeal. The client accused the magistrate of “coaching” the firm’s counsel and even counted the compliments: 12 for HWLE, 10 for him. The Victorian Supreme Court threw out every ground: Lawyers Weekly

NSW Bar president Dominic Toomey SC named 20 new silks, the smallest cohort since 2022. Only five are women. Women had a higher success rate than men (25% vs 18%), but that’s because only 20 of the 104 applicants were women. Women now make up 17% of NSW silks: Point Blank

The High Court is down to six judges again, with Justice Simon Steward off sick for a second month. That raises the risk of a 3-3 split in two constitutional cases, including a challenge to NT bail laws. Steward hopes to be back for Reddit’s under-16s social media ban challenge in November: Capital Brief