Insurance and risk management services for the better practice of law

Practitioners acting in litigation matters should keep in mind that adjournments are not automatic and will only be granted for good reason.

There is a risk that if an adjournment application is unsuccessful, practitioners may face claims from their clients (if the matter is not ready to proceed to trial and it prejudices the outcome) or for the other parties’ costs of the application.

Our article covers when adjournments can be made, as well as some recent Supreme Court decisions where late adjournments of trial dates have been sought and refused by the Court.

LPLC continues to see an increase in the sophistication of tactics cybercriminals use to infiltrate computer systems and steal money from lawyers and their clients.

As these threats evolve, it is important that law firms continually reassess their cybersecurity measures and adopt a proactive, multi-layered defence strategy.

Our article provides tips for protecting yourself, take-home messages and some Dos and Don'ts of defending against cyber scams.

When buying property, nominating a new or different purchaser can be risky.

Under s32J of the Duties Act 2000, nomination after the lodgment of an application for a planning or building permit or other land development activity results in a sub-sale and a liability to pay a second amount of duty.

LPLC continues to see new ‘double duty’ claims indicating that there are still misconceptions amongst some practitioners and purchasers about what land development means and about the timing for completing nomination forms.

Our article explores these issues and the critical points in transactions where practitioners can advise purchaser clients of nomination risk and double duty.

An inadvertent leak of sensitive information is a serious lapse of a lawyer’s duty to keep client information confidential.

Understanding how data leaks occur and how to prevent them should be part of every lawyer’s cybersecurity toolkit.

Our LIJ article this month covers some of the most common ways data from law firms is leaked, along with straightforward strategies for prevention.

A 'subject to finance' clause imposes a number of things that purchasers must do, usually within a tight time frame, before they can use the clause to end the contract.

LPLC sees claims arise when clients don’t understand their obligations and practitioners don’t appropriately manage the time frames.

This article discusses some of the risk issues associated with contracts that are ‘subject to finance’, with case examples and tips on how to manage those risks.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools offer benefits and challenges to lawyers that are best managed through clear risk management principles, robust policies, and an awareness of the risks inherent in AI usage.

Our LIJ article this month explains how generative AI tools can get things wrong, and sets out the importance of AI usage policies in mitigating risk.