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04 August 2020
Comparing the fault standards in Australian and UK shareholder class actions
Continuous disclosure obligations applicable to shareholder class action claims have been the subject of much debate in Australia in recent years. Recent amendments to the continuous disclosure provisions of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) are intended to reduce opportunistic shareholder class...
30 July 2020
Funded class actions under the spotlight: Australian Federal Government introduces new regulations
On 24 July 2020, the Australian Federal Government introduced new regulations, removing the ‘managed investment scheme’ ( MIS ) and other financial services regulatory exemptions that apply for litigation funding schemes used in class actions.
23 July 2020
Data Class Actions: the threat to business
Our Data Class Actions team has today published an article about the future of class actions in the August 2020 issue of PLC Magazine . The article first appeared in the August 2020 issue of PLC Magazine . The article follows the Supreme Court’s decision in Various Claimants v WM Morrison...
26 May 2020
Australian Federal Government eases continuous disclosure rules
Yesterday, the Australian Federal Government modified the continuous disclosure provisions of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) ( Corporations Act ) in an effort to provide temporary relief to companies and officers for a six month period from today.
22 April 2020
COVID-19: Pressure Points: Impact of COVID-19 on class actions (UK)
As well as the human cost of COVID-19, the pandemic has led to unprecedented disruption to both daily life and business activity on a global scale. With seemingly no industry or sector immune from the commercial and economic effects of the outbreak, businesses are facing huge challenges on a day-to...
18 March 2020
COVID-19 People: Short guide for employers (Australia)
The COVID-19 virus is new, rapidly evolving and having a major impact on workplaces. The virus is giving rise to multitude of employment and safety-related questions in a context which has not previously been contemplated, on topics ranging from an employer’s payment obligations and dealing with...
30 January 2020
Unfolding privacy class actions in Australia
Claimants in Australia face a number of challenges to successfully bringing a privacy class action, including the absence of a clear cause of action and difficulties in quantifying loss. Despite the challenges, on 9 December 2019, the Supreme Court of NSW in Evans v Health Administration...
28 November 2019
Contingency fees set to be introduced for Victorian class actions
On 27 November 2019 the Victorian Government tabled in Parliament the Justice Legislation Miscellaneous Amendments Bill 2019 (Vic) which introduces a new power to permit contingency fees to be ordered in Victorian class actions. If passed, the new law will permit plaintiff law firms to receive a...
15 November 2019
The Lloyds/HBOS litigation: The first shareholder class action judgment in England & Wales
The first judgment in a shareholder class action in England & Wales has been handed down by the High Court today in Sharp v Blank [2019] EWHC 3078 (Ch) (also known as The Lloyds/HBOS litigation ).
13 November 2019
One year of Model Declaratory Action in Germany – taking stock and outlook
Fuelled by revelations consequent of the Volkswagen diesel emissions technology cases, the German legislator hastily introduced a new law on Model Declaratory Action ( Musterfeststellungsklage ). This denotes an important step by the German legislator into the direction of collective redress in B2C...
01 November 2019
Myer: the first shareholder class action judgment in Australia
The first superior court judgment in a shareholder class action in Australia has been handed down by Justice Beach of the Federal Court of Australia in TPT Patrol Pty Ltd as trustee for Amies Superannuation Fund v Myer Holdings Ltd .
22 October 2019
2019 Global Bank Review
The 2019 edition of our Global Bank Review: The Data Game , explores the rapid growth of data as one of the most significant developments in the banking sector. That being the case, we are still only at the beginning of the data journey and its impact in the next decade or two will be even more...
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07 September 2020
London International Disputes Week 2020
We are pleased to announce that London International Disputes Week (LIDW) is returning for a second year in September 2020. Herbert Smith Freehills is proud to be associated with this key event, which celebrates London as a global centre for dispute resolution. 7 – 11 September 2020 For more...
04 August 2020
Comparing the fault standards in Australian and UK shareholder class actions
Continuous disclosure obligations applicable to shareholder class action claims have been the subject of much debate in Australia in recent years. Recent amendments to the continuous disclosure provisions of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) are intended to reduce opportunistic shareholder class...
03 August 2020
Governance: CORPORATE INSOLVENCY AND GOVERNANCE ACT 2020 - SOUNDBITE SERIES (UK)
Welcome to our soundbite series on the new Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 which came into effect on 26 June 2020. The provisions of the Act are complex and could have significant impact on companies in distress and their creditors, particularly landlords, suppliers, financial services...
30 July 2020
Funded class actions under the spotlight: Australian Federal Government introduces new regulations
On 24 July 2020, the Australian Federal Government introduced new regulations, removing the ‘managed investment scheme’ ( MIS ) and other financial services regulatory exemptions that apply for litigation funding schemes used in class actions.
30 July 2020
Human rights arguments increasingly deployed in climate change litigation
There has been a significant rise over the past five years in the number of climate change claims that have been based (at least in part) on human rights principles, according to the latest report from the London School of Economics Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment...
29 July 2020
Pressure points: Trustees and administrators prepare for what’s ahead: Ombudsman to see a rise in complaints due to Covid-19 (UK)
The Pensions Ombudsman recently published both its Corporate Plan 2020-2023 and Annual Report for 2019/2020, which reveal that the number of enquiries the Ombudsman received has significantly increased in the last year. In addition, the Ombudsman expects the number of complaints to “undoubtedly”...
28 July 2020
UK autonomous sanctions underline importance of human rights due diligence
The importance of human rights and robust human rights due diligence was underlined earlier this month, by the UK government’s introduction of the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020 (the “ Sanctions Regulations ”). The Sanctions Regulations are the UK’s first autonomous sanctions...
27 July 2020
Webinar: Workplace manslaughter developments in Australia – A national snapshot
Nearly all Australian States and Territories have approached the law around Workplace Manslaughter differently, in a further departure from the proposed ‘harmonisation’ of safety laws. The introduction of these very serious criminal offences is the topic of discussion in boardrooms, executive teams...
27 July 2020
The Prevention Principle – An irreproachable concept?
We recently spoke with Thomas Lazur of Keating Chambers on the "prevention principle." Our discussion can be listened to here , and this article supplements that discussion and considers further some of the key points raised during our conversation.
