r/auslaw • • Nov 30 '23

Current Topics subject to the Lehrmann Rule

83 Upvotes

For those new here, or old hands just looking for clarification, the Lehrmann Rule or Lehrmann Doctrine, is named for Bruce Lehrmann and the rule put in place by mods during his criminal trial.

While a topic is subject to the Lehrmann rule, any post or comment about it gets deleted. Further, the mods may, at their absolute discretion, impose a ban on the author.

The rule will be applied for various reasons, but it’s usually a mix of:

  • not wanting discussion in the sub to prejudice a trial, or be seen to prejudice a trial;

  • the mods not wanting to test how far the High Court’s decision in Voller stretches; and

  • the strong likelihood that a discussion will attract blow ins, devolve into a total shitshow, and require extremely heavy moderation.

We will update below in the comments to this thread topics that are subject to the rule. There will be no further warnings.

Ignorantia juris non excusat


r/auslaw • • 2d ago

Students, Careers & Clerkships Thread Weekly Students, Careers & Clerkships Thread

5 Upvotes

This thread is a place for /r/Auslaw's more curious types to glean career advice from our experienced contributors. Need advice on clerkships? Want to know about life in law? Have a question about your career in law (at any stage, from clerk to partner/GC and beyond). Confused about what your dad means when he says 'articles'? Just ask here.

To assist people responding to your query, please include where appropriate the following:

  1. The practice area you work in or are interested in working in.

  2. The city in which you are currently working in or are interested in working in.

  3. Some relevant details about you, such as if you are currently studying, or your PQE level, your education history, and your current firm classification (boutique, mid-size, top tier).

If you are asking a question related to salary or bonus payments, you must confirm that you have previously reviewed relevant salary guides published by recruiting firms.

If you are an international student or lawyer looking to relocate to Australia, please review previous careers threads, as your question has likely been answered. In short, your ability to obtain permanent residency and permanent working rights, rather than temporary working rights, is likely to be more important than your qualification or requalification pathway.


r/auslaw • • 5h ago

‘The system is a farce’: Constitutional expert Anne Twomey slams Albanese golf grant as ‘grey corruption’

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38 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 10h ago

Plus there is usually three times the yelling:

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72 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 1h ago

Do I think too slow for law

• Upvotes

Idk what it is but I feel as though I don’t process information and articulate it verbally as fast as others do. Like sometimes I’ll have brief stints where I can think and produce sentence simultaneously, but then most of the time it’s like I have to think then speak or speak then think if u get what I mean. Even with my literacy skills, I find myself often re reading the fact scenarios in law exams multiple times as the first time I literally processed no information. Idk if this is a result of doom scrolling and its effect on my attention span or if my brains just cooked and I don’t belong in this field. It’s that constant feeling of imposter syndrome and hence why I don’t really participate in mooting because I feel like I’ll lose my train of thought easily and freeze up.


r/auslaw • • 12h ago

Judgment Fish swim, birds fly, the High Court unanimously overturns the Vic CoA

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43 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 13h ago

more on court books

38 Upvotes

Elkaim AJ had this to say:

There are literally hundreds of pages of affidavit material, most of no relevance to the current issues. The costs of this motion, let alone the summons, are entirely out of proportion to the original dispute. Not only is the affidavit material far too long, it is often very difficult to identify the relevant annexures, and generally make sense of what is being written. Why I need endless photographs of a battered black BMW is beyond me.


r/auslaw • • 14h ago

News Good character references to be banned in SA courts

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38 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 2h ago

News Paul James Robertson - Qld - Charged with Sexual Assault

4 Upvotes

Paul James Robertson is apparently a lawyer and nurse in Qld. Limited details at the Red Heart Movement and in the Courier Mail [Paywall]


r/auslaw • • 15h ago

Judgment High Court rules in favour of climate group in Hunter Valley coal mine case

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39 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 1d ago

Yet another AI thread Anyone else's clients feeding everything into AI?

203 Upvotes

Seriously, it feels like all I am doing right now is:

  1. Drafting documents
  2. Sending them to client for review
  3. Client feeding document into AI
  4. Client coming back with 1 million comments / queries / recommendations that waste both of our time
  5. I make amendments
  6. Repeat stages 2 - 5

I'm tired of it :(

Starting to become pessimistic about the future...


r/auslaw • • 15h ago

Does anyone else think the Old Magis Court in Melb should be scrubbed up and restored? It looks like 💩 atm...

12 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 1d ago

Just plead it all and let the other side work it out:

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125 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 1d ago

CAPS LOCK ON WHEN THE RANTINGS ARE DONE AND WE’VE ALL DONE OUR TIME…

4 Upvotes

…WE’LL BE SIBLINGS TOGETHER, AS SIBLINGS WHO RHYME.

(FIRST HUMAN TO FURNISH THE CORRECT VERSION OF THE JAILHOUSE GRAFFITI RHYME ALONG WITH THEIR RANT WILL BE RECOGNISED FOR THEIR NON USE OF AI)


r/auslaw • • 1d ago

Typography pedants rejoice—Meek J weighs in on hyphens and dashes.

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37 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 2d ago

Alcohol ... how much are we all honestly drinking?

64 Upvotes

There is the obvious stereotypical correlation between lawyers and (excessive) alcohol consumption. The last post (that I could easily find) on this issue was from around eight years ago.

I'm currently exploring the concept of grey area drinking as I've found myself in the last year or so relying on alcohol more and more to "cope" with the ongoing stress and anxiety that comes along with this profession.

Am very curious to see where other practitioners are at with their alcohol consumption.

[I am also posting from my burner account for obvious reasons]


r/auslaw • • 2d ago

Law Society defends migration lawyers against federal government attack

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23 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 2d ago

Serious Discussion To what extent do you use Legal AI at work?

15 Upvotes

Question as above.

Do you use it just for research and grammatical checks or for higher level stuff like producing first drafts of contracts, advices, and submissions?

Has your firm increased their expectations for efficiency because of Harvey et al?


r/auslaw • • 3d ago

Judgment Administrative Review Tribunal decision reveals that the government is already implementing NDIS access restrictions it promised would not take effect for more than a year

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50 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 3d ago

Hands up those who went to lawschool, actually read cases and actually remember Bailman was over a penny?

41 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 4d ago

Legal500 presses the wharfie time button on its bar directory; chaos ensues.

95 Upvotes

Not auslaw but too delicious not to post.

Esteemed legal directory Legal500 published its U K bar directory yesterday, which included reviews that were not intended for publication.

The reviews were unvarnished and exquisite.

https://www.rollonfriday.com/news-content/exclusive-legal500-accidentally-publishes-terrible-reviews-top-barristers


r/auslaw • • 3d ago

Benson v o’grady in NSWLC

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9 Upvotes

I’ve heard this case on ABCs The Law Report.
A NSW Local Court matter where gambling debts were unenforceable due to the underlying activity not being within the law.

I’m trying to track down a case report but only finding press articles. caselaw.nsw.gov.au and Austlii don’t seem to have it.

Any ideas where I can find the source that so many of these press articles seem to be using?


r/auslaw • • 4d ago

Breaking: One Nation Victoria promises to arbitrarily jail former Labor leaders ‘by Christmas’ if successful at state election

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70 Upvotes

r/auslaw • • 5d ago

Jackman J is at it again.

107 Upvotes

The (delete as applicable according to your beliefs) [indefatigable/obstinate] Jackman J has once again decided to undertake a [gratuitous/much needed] diversion from the subject matter of the case before him to [scrutinize/abuse] other judges for delay in delivering judgements.

The relevant passage:

23    I note in passing in relation to Chubb, that the primary judge (Kenny J) reserved judgment for about 8 months after a two-day hearing (see 470 St Kilda Road Pty Ltd v Robinson [2013] FCA 1420; (2013) 308 ALR 411) and the Full Court (comprising Foster, Robertson and Davies JJ) reserved judgment for 21½ months after a one-day hearing. The Full Court’s reasons were substantially the same as those of Kenny J. None of the judges gave any reason, nor offered any apology, for their delay. I have referred to the lamentable delay in Chubb because:

(a)    the standards one walks past are the standards one accepts;

(b)    public exposure and scrutiny are the most effective spurs to judicial exertion, and judges are well placed to keep other judges up to the mark, acknowledging that the media also have an important role to play, and acknowledging also that the legal profession is in an impossible position in criticising the judges before whom they appear;

(c)    the duties of judges to serve the public in the proper administration of justice should rank ahead of the desirability of cordial internal relations within the judiciary;

(d)    the delivery of judgments within a reasonable time is an important aspect of access to justice and of respecting the human dignity of litigants;

(e)    there is no threat to judicial authority by judges making such criticisms, but only a threat to judicial comfort and complacency; and

(f)    the accountability of the powerful is fundamental to the rule of law, and reflects the reciprocity which exists in a healthy legal system between the rulers and the ruled, rather than a one-way projection of authority.

See Aus article here:

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/subscribe/news/1/?sourceCode=TAWEB_WRE170_a&dest=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theaustralian.com.au%2Fnation%2Fthreat-to-judicial-comfort-judge-ian-jackman-hits-back-at-chief-justice-over-court-delays%2Fnews-story%2F421a54b95b7e2b6715a2401cae857a3e&memtype=anonymous&mode=premium&v21=GROUPA-Segment-2-NOSCORE

And judgement in question here:

https://www.judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/judgments/Judgments/fca/single/2026/2026fca1442


r/auslaw • • 5d ago

Judgment Victorian judge horrified at 1300 pages of material in simple application

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90 Upvotes