#Legal
Using AI in a legal dispute could now cost you in court
Australia’s Federal Court now has rules on AI. Here is what that means if you ever end up in legal proceedings
Expert Tips: Common legal concerns for employers
Employment law expert on how to tackle most concern legal concerns.
Video conferencing available for legal document witnessing
Video conferencing technology will continue to be used to witness legal documents such as wills, powers of attorney and statutory declarations. Witnessing via audio-visual link (AVL) can be done through technology such as Skype, WhatsApp, FaceTime and Zoom. The witness must watch a person signing the legal document in real time through AVL. They then […]
6 business trends to come out of the COVID-19 pandemic
Lawpath has collected data from the 130,000 businesses that their legal platform to determine 6 strong business trends that have taken off in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since March this year, the business landscape as we know it has shifted dramatically to something unrecognisable – CBDs are empty and shopping centres deserted. Government shutdowns, […]
Ticking privacy time-bombs for businesses working from home
A Melbourne lawyer is warning businesses to prepare for potential privacy issues that may already be arising from current remote working conditions. Rigby Cooke Lawyers Senior Associate Emma Simpson said while business owners were currently focussed on doing what they could to remain afloat, a significant privacy breach could seriously impede their recovery. “Many businesses […]
Logging into the courtroom: New legal tech startup takes disputes online
The aim of Laura Keily’s legal tech startup, Immediation, is to make the legal industry easier to use, more cost-effective and more accessible – by moving disputes from the courtroom to online. Laura has two decades as a commercial lawyer and barrister behind her. From her experience, she found that it is almost impossible for […]
What is Artificial Intelligence (AI) and does it have a place in legal firms?
While making the shift towards digital has become common in many businesses, the legal profession continues to trail behind. However, in many cases, Artificial Intelligence (AI) can transform the legal profession. Not by taking over human tasks, but instead, AI can complete the repetitive, mundane tasks lawyers must finish each day. This frees legal practitioners […]
Domino’s to be hit by class action lawsuit
Global litigation funding provider Therium Litigation Finance is funding a class action against Domino’s Pizza Enterprises, claiming the Australian pizza giant and its franchises systemically underpaid workers. Law firm Phi Finney McDonald alleges that most delivery and in-store Domino’s workers were paid less than they should have from June 24, 2013 through January 24, 2018. […]
Expert Robert Bryden shares his legal tips for franchisees
Australia is thriving with over 1,300 franchise businesses in a range of industries, earning over $181 billion dollars in revenue and continually growing. [1] In recent times, however, more franchisees have found themselves in a dispute against their franchisor. These problems generally arise for one of two reasons – either the franchisee has not been advised […]
Company in court for helping businesses write ‘customer’ reviews
Business in hot water for ‘misleading’ customers.
Let’s Talk: Exit Strategy
What is the best way to exit a business?
Recent data breach allegation sparks concern
Medical appointment app subject of recent media attention.
Would my startup benefit from having an advisory board and what is involved?
Thoughtful, committed and brave… startup founders have a problem to solve, solutions to test and a vision of what they seek to achieve. Launching and running a business requires a suite of skills to succeed. With limited time, and the need to spend carefully, how can founders access strategic guidance, high-quality expertise and a sounding board? […]
Three things an entrepreneur should know once they’ve decided to pursue the startup life
You have a great idea, and you know you can turn it into a profitable one. But taking the step into startup land is a big deal, and there is a lot that separates the initial seed of your idea and your first sale. With that in mind, here are three tips for entrepreneurs looking to […]
Protecting your SME when an employee leaves
Small businesses and startups face as much risk in employment as larger enterprises but they are often less well-equipped to address these issues. When working in a small business, people tend to form strong personal relationships and employers plan to retain staff. Sometimes, however, businesses need to dismiss staff for a number of reasons. While […]
Australia’s Competition law penalties may be too low to sufficiently deter breaches: report
The OECD has found that penalties for competition law breaches are ‘significantly lower’ in Australia than in comparable OECD jurisdictions, prompting the nation’s competition regulator to announce it will rethink its approach to competition law enforcement. The OECD report, Pecuniary Penalties for Competition Law Infringements in Australia(link is external) compared the penalties for companies which breach […]
Strong capital raising activity amongst Aussie startups: how to ensure you are investor ready
Australian startups are raising millions of dollars of venture capital funding, with recent high profile raises including Canva raising $50.9 million in January 2018, Hyper Anna raising $16 million in August 2017 and Culture Amp raising $26.4 million in June 2017. Hundreds of Australian startups are raising smaller amounts in seed and series A capital […]
United or divided: when the views of your company aren’t shared by your employees
You may have been told once before that it is not polite to discuss religion or politics at the dinner table, but what about at work? The political landscape is somewhat of a mine field with vast political opinions on all matters of social issues and policy, and most likely your opinion won’t necessarily match […]
Should you leave your job to start a business? Seven steps to consider before making the leap
Founders often ask me ‘how do you know when is the right time to leave a corporate role and start your own business?’ Despite the fact I have a strong accounting background and am very much a numbers person, life experience has taught me this initial decision often needs to be based more on a […]
Progress made towards a fairer distribution of power between small and big businesses
When small businesses engage with large enterprises, standard form contracts often leave them with no room to negotiate. Small businesses are left with the choice of either accepting terms heavily weighted against them, or terminating a deal that would be valuable for their business. To protect small businesses from backing into a corner, the unfair […]
If your business handles personal data, then forthcoming EU regulations may affect you
Within the world of compliance, one of the biggest challenges people face is transparency. The issue of transparency is further amplified in the digital economy, where consumer data is readily accessible with the increased use of digital technologies. As data becomes the new currency, how companies manage, secure and share data is fast becoming a […]
“The industry is frozen in time”– why Demetrio Zema founded his legal start-up Law Squared
Believing the traditional law firm model to be ill-suited to the needs of entrepreneurs, Demetrio Zema founded legal practice start-up Law Squared, determined to offer a better client experience. Since launching out of Cluster, a co-working space in Central Melbourne, in March 2016, the firm – Zema’s sixth business – has been named ‘Australia’s most […]
How to avoid unenforceable contracts
No business operates in complete isolation. Agreements must be made between your business and its customers, as well as with other businesses such as suppliers and distributors. So how do businesses enforce their agreements? The answer is through the formation of legally binding contracts. Unfortunately, many businesses get caught out with unenforceable contracts and, in turn, […]
Which legal structure best suits my business?
Choosing a business structure is, well, tricky business. If you are thinking of starting a business, you should first weigh up the pros and cons of each business structure to figure out which one best suits your needs. This is an important step that shouldn’t be overlooked because it affects many aspects of your business […]