By Ugur Nedim and Sonia Hickey Eddie Obeid looked solemn and downcast as he learned his fate in the NSW Supreme Court in Sydney. The 73- year old former Labor Party kingpin has spent his first night behind bars at Silverwater Metropolitan Remand and Reception Centre, but is likely to eventually be transferred to Long… Read more »
By Blake O’Connor and Ugur Nedim Blacktown Brothers for Life gang leader, Farhad Qaumi, and his second in charge, Mumtaz Qaumi, are currently on trial in the NSW Supreme Court over the murder of construction industry figure Joseph Antoun, who was executed by a third party outside his Strathfield home on 16 December 2013. The… Read more »
By Zeb Holmes and Ugur Nedim The Family Court of Australia examined the distinction between lawful physical discipline of a child and unlawful abuse in a recent child custody dispute. The case involved a father who beat his two eldest children with a cricket bat, but argued he should still be allowed to see his six-year-old… Read more »
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim Susan Kiefel QC AC, aged 62, will officially take up her appointment as the Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia next January. Justice Kiefel is the first female to be appointed to the position. But she is no stranger to ‘firsts’- in 1987, she was the first… Read more »
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim The New South Wales local court has appointed 11 new magistrates – the largest appointment in several years. Attorney General Gabrielle Upton says the addition is an important step forward in achieving gender equality across the legal profession, as six of the new magistrates are women. Closing the gender… Read more »
One Nation senator Rod Culleton was defiant when he recently chose to represent himself in the High Court of Australia. Mr Culleton is reported to have used his court appearance to air “all the grievances” he had with the federal government. In a sign of things to come, Culleton said he refused legal aid on… Read more »
By Sonia Hickey and Ugur Nedim Section 80 of the Australian Constitution guarantees the right to a trial by jury for those who are tried on indictment for criminal charges; in other words, who are dealt with in the higher courts such as the District or Supreme Court. However, there is no express right to… Read more »
Federal Court hearings in Sydney have delivered surprising news for the relatives of victims of the MH 370 airplane disappearance. After refusing for more than 12 months to provide corporate records to assist the families of victims seeking compensation over the disappearance of flight MH 370, Malaysia Airlines has suddenly decided to cooperate. This is… Read more »
write By Blake O’Connor and Ugur Nedim An Illawarra man, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is currently on trial in Wollongong District Court for sexual acts performed on a dog and for molesting his granddaughter. The child sexual abuse is alleged to have occurred on multiple occasions in the mid-2000s when the girl… Read more »
Law firm Slater & Gordon (S&G) is well known for taking class action lawsuits against other companies. But in just five months after becoming a public company, the firm is reported to have lost 90% of its share value. Now, the firm is on the other end of two separate class action lawsuits, one of… Read more »
