A lovely ruse: Nicely framed, but bogus, letter from High Court architects threatening copyright proceedings over cake modelled on the court’s design. However, what is perfectly genuine is Smiler Gleeson’s moving reply … more

After an eight year squabble the Court of Appeal says DPP Cowdery did not give dud advice to the Attorney General … Victorian appeal court birches County Court judge (now fortunately retired) ... Robert Somosi bobs up in badly pleaded defamation case … more

Yarraside’s Warren Court. Despite all of Attorney General Hulls’ huffin’ and puffin’ he didn’t need to cast a wide net. The ideal Chief Justice was right under his nose. Those with elephantine memories also will recall a slight hiccup in young Marilyn Warren’s admission to legal practice … more

Madge Marsden’s 13 malignant nodes, all with names … Victoria’s silk vacuum … Freehills in massive brawl over peat … more

Bret Walker hits back at anonymous barrister who belittled the selection process for silk. Bret’s farewell epistle as President of the NSW Bar & Lounge … more

Forget the dishonest intent, see how the lunge for contract law saved Pauline … more

“Madge” Marsden rides to the rescue of leader of the Zimbabwe opposition … Brisbane barrister’s imputations burned to a crisp … Gadens’ former senior partner sues The Sun-Herald … more

Medical negligence lawyer’s plea to Health Minister Abbott to head off marauding medicos’ push for further and better tort reform. Litigation is not out of control … more

A voice from the inside on the selection of silks – a sham process disgraces the profession … more

Double bankrupt Bob Cameron wants his ticket back, but the NSW Bar & Grill plans to have him spanked by the Administrative Decisions Tribunal. Now Bob’s off to court to fight the Grill’s “biased” resolutions … more

Litigation funder may seek costs contribution from Doug Meagher QC in the wake of “reckless” litigation. Barristers’ insurance premiums under fresh pressure … more

Latest round in unwinding Gus Cummins’ 1987 wholesale transfer of assets sees a $1.6 million haul for the trustee of the former silk’s bankrupt estate … more

Special survey of big eight law firm web sites. Justinian’s Olde Mugge awarded to the firm spewing forth the most gruesome marketing babble. ... more

What fresh hell is this? An all dancing, all singing judiciary, media savvy and bristling to be interviewed. Hair-curling plans afoot…. ... more

Depression, denial, fog, pills, mental illness and dud investments all conspired to sink Clarrie Stevens … more

Glittering tax silk surrenders and consents at the eleventh hour to being struck from the jam roll. Bar Association makes fresh allegations of fiscal impropriety against Clarrie Stevens … more

Dyson Heydon on “taste”, being “Australian”, and the “mood” of the nation … Transcript of Lady Di trial reveals her as a tiresome bossy boots … Freehills wanting its client to correct and withdraw … Lodging tax returns is a matter of “integrity” ... Timely tax compliance by NSW barristers climbs from 56 to 97 percent … more

Bankruptcy trustee trying to claw back John Cummins’ assets from estranged wife. Claim that the transfer to a family trust 16 years ago amounted to fraud … more

Latest twist in the Clarrie Stevens’ spellbinder. NSW Bar & Grill wins right to subpoena bankrupt barrister’s financial history stretching back to the happy day of admission, October 1, 1977 … more

Victorian Attorney General on the cusp of announcing the shape of a new disciplinary regime for lawyers, amid confused reports and plenty of “vitriol, venom and toxicity” ... more

Hullsey’s lucky night out … Federal Court shuffles … New Age guru guides workplace happiness at Blakes … annoying DPP loses life tenure in NSW … Roddy Meagher’s bulging art treasures … more

Impugning of lawyers. Defamation cases in which we see distressingly small awards of damages for lawyers who have been subjected to rotten remarks. One uphappy barrister had just about all his imputations tossed in the rubbish bin … more

The juicy jobs of Chief Justice and Solicitor General are up for contention in Yarraville. Of course the talent pool is deep and the speculation wide … more

“Smiler” polling just over one percent for GG job … Kirbs keeps his money to himself … more media grumps to NSW Court of Appeal … Federal Court judges go feral over ALJ assault … Hulls tearing at the exquisite finery of the law … High Court travel “splurge” ... more

Rough Justice – Tales from the Bar. Stay in next Tuesday night and watch Howard Insall SC having dinner with the wife and little Insalls. It’s a real treat on Your ABC … more

Court in the Act. Horrible lawyer stories: The case of the (nearly) severed finger. ... more

Court in the Act. Horrible lawyer stories: The case of the feuding partners. ... more

We unearth a cheeky lad in a fetching jumper knitted by Mum. There’s a full display of a chilling gang of political plotters … more

Adjunct to article “Stevens told to cough up ancient financial records” ... more

Now that the Iraq war is out of the way we can look more intently at the “mistakes” made by the Queensland DPP in dropping the “indecent dealing” charges against swimming coach Scott Volkers … more

Silken art critic floored … restraint of Dr Scutt fades … BYO at The Tasmanian Club … entire family escapes public hanging … more

The High Court is a real wheeze these days. The bon mots are flying thick and fast from those droll wags. Well, there were two in two days … more

After a three year investigation the Law Institute of Victoria has laid 300 charges against three country solicitors. Overcharging, not putting WorkCover money through the trust account, the works. $1 million of the booty has been paid back to the dudded clients … more

Our newest High Court judge dressed as a Soviet woman in 1963. Did the Dame Enid Lyons’ morals brigade in the PM’s office know of this gender (and ideological) confusion before the appointment was made? ... more

It was steamy in the tropics as Stuart “Keys” Littlemore cross-examined a Papua New Guinea MP at a commission of inquiry in Port Moresby. Unfortunately, things got out of hand and there was an awful bit of name calling … more

Another instance where the nitpickers on the Victorian Court of Appeal are being mean to Howard Nathan. It is said that in one judgment he made 50 mistakes of fact, plucked figures from the air, was biased and plagiarised the plaintiff’s submissions … more

Sunshine rots the brain. Queensland’s crime and justice industry has been awash with strife: the strange decision by the DPP to drop proceedings against a friend of the Attorney General; the “Lady” Di Fingleton fiasco; and now the AG is dreaming-up more measures to reform the rotton old Queensland Law Society … more

Buffalo Bruce files from the Top End: High Court breathes life into the Bradley case … magistrate birched for locking-up a lawyer … subversives disturb parliament and the courts … more

Adjunct to “Court of Appeal considers the taxing issue of Clarrie Stevens’ practising certificate” ... more

Clarrie Stevens QC tells the NSW Court of Appeal that a 20 year failure to lodge tax returns is “not relevant” to his fitness to practice … more

The transcripts show that Blakes’ boy Charlie Abbott put up a pretty slippery performance at the HIH Royal Commission. Read the evidence and judge for yourself whether his conduct as a voracious biller amounted to a breach of director’s duty. Or was it all frightful bad timing? ... more

“Poor Player” reviews John Mortimer’s The Dock Brief at The Ensemble. The meagre world of the briefless barrister … more

Unbuttoning the Dice Man. Strange tales from Heydon J’s whacky world … more

Adjunct to “Court of Appeal considers the taxing issue of Clarrie Stevens’ practising certificate” ... more

Worm reviews Justice Ian Callinan’s third novel, The Missing Masterpiece. Disturbingly, one can glimpse the Tub’s complex soul peeking through the pages of this spellbinder … more

Stuffing two pistols into his trousers while visiting the Bourbon & Beefsteak’s urinal gives rise to a finding of professional misconduct against barrister John Bryson … more

Coffee at the Cosmopolitan in Double Bay with the other Hungarians, or an appearance at a client’s sentencing? Robert Somosi chose the former … more

Justice Jeff Shaw has a poke at Dice … no arrests yet in Woollahra car scratching case … judge dismayed by Tasmanian Law Society’s disciplinary blunder … latest parliament attack on Bazza O’Keefe J … Philip King’s forgotten tome … more

May 26-28 set for next round in trustees’ struggle to prise loot out of John Cummins’ estranged wife … more

Vic Court of Appeal incandescent at Justice Nathan’s louche views on huntin’, shootin’, ‘n’ fishin’ ... more

The Law Institute of Victoria kicks off to a nervy new year, what with the Court of Appeal’s nickpicking finding that disciplinary processes are mired in illegality. The Bar & Grill is also caught in the mess. The High Court and the Bracks’ regime are being asked to fix it … more