Law Report

The rapid rise of AI use in employment law disputes

A Sydney computing academic made headlines when he won a landmark case at the Fair Work Commission by relying entirely on artificial intelligence. The Law Report explore

01 | Can a stranger inherit everything you own?

An elderly man goes into respite care and meets a nurse he's never known before.  Within days she's bought him a will kit and had a document drawn up that leaves everyth

02 | The will written on a frozen fish packet

A frozen fish packet. An unsent text. A tractor fender. Courts have accepted all of these as valid wills. You want to write a will and make sure that your assets go to t

03 | He worked the farm for decades and got nothing

You work the family farm your whole life, then it's left to someone else. When drafting a will, the law says you don't have to be fair or equal in deciding who will rece

04 | Asked to be an executor? What you're really signing up for

If a relative asks you to be the executor of their will, should you accept? What can go wrong and what do you need to know before you agree to take on the role? When disp

Alan Jones on trial

The criminal trial of former radio broadcaster Alan Jones has begun in the Local Court in Sydney.

How should the law respond to cults and groups that coerce and control?

The Victorian parliament has published a groundbreaking inquiry into the recruitment methods and impacts of cults and organised fringe groups. Among the inquiry's recomm

The legacy of William Ah Ket, Australia's first lawyer of Chinese descent

It's 150 years since the birth of William Ah Ket, Australia's first lawyer of Chinese descent. He was involved in two significant legal victories that kicked back agains

Fifty years of 'no-fault' divorce in Australia

This year marks 50 years of the Family Law Act – legislation that revolutionised the way Australians divorce. Two former family law judges sit down with Damien Carrick to

The dilemmas of parole board decision making

What is it like to have the responsibility of deciding if a violent offender should be released from prison and allowed back into the community? 

New employment law pathway to hear sexual harassment complaints

In a legal first, the Federal Court has handed down a sexual harassment decision under protections recently introduced to the Fair Work Act.

Who should pay when prison guards or police officers cause injury?

If a child is injured by tear gas in a youth detention centre, are the authorities liable? And can a protester injured by police during a demonstration seek damages? 

Why a UK court upheld the Palestine Action terror ban

The Court of Appeal in London ruled that it was open to Britain's home secretary to designate the Palestine Action protest group as a terrorist organisation.

Should a complainant's counselling records be used in a sexual assault trial?

The Law Report looks at the Victorian government plans to ensure health and counselling information is not used in court without the consent of victim survivors, who will

Is there a place for AI in boardrooms and the courts?

Artificial intelligence is revolutionising all parts of the economy and our institutions — corporate boardrooms and the courts are not immune.

A bushfire starts on your property and spreads to your neighbours - are you liable for their losses?

A court has found that a South Australian farmer was responsible for setting fire to a pile of vegetation that was left smouldering and reignited six months later, causin

Trump's war on journalists: libel or lawfare?

There's been a wave of defamation suits from within the Trump administration targeting the US news media. Is it legitimate litigation or lawfare?

America's Erin Patterson? The Kouri Richins poisoning case

In a case that's transfixed the US, a woman who wrote a children's book about grief following her husband's death has been sentenced to life in prison for his murder.

Does EMDR therapy taint a witness's recollection?

Imagine you are a victim of crime and need therapy to help deal with a traumatic memory. Would you go ahead if it meant that your case might not be prosecuted because the

What does an election look like when there are no financial ground rules?

There are no political donation laws in Victoria following a High Court decision that overturned legislation in place for nearly a decade.