Editorial

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The New Leadership Imperative on Psychosocial Risk
In Practice

The New Leadership Imperative on Psychosocial Risk

EmploymentLeadershipHR & Talent

Law firms have long measured success through billings, utilisation and financial performance. Increasingly, however, questions are being asked about how those results are achieved. As psychosocial hazards become a core workplace health and safety issue, firms are facing growing pressure to assess leadership not only by commercial outcomes, but by their impact on wellbeing, workplace culture and psychosocial safety. Is it time to measure what really matters?

30 May 2026
Section

The Agenda

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The New Shape of Australian Class Actions
The Agenda
Disputes & Litigation

The New Shape of Australian Class Actions

Australian class action practice has been transformed over the past decade by the maturation of the litigation funding market, legislative changes to the regime in Victoria and federally, and a growing willingness by courts to manage large, complex group proceedings with genuine efficiency. The practical implications for defendants, insurers, and their advisers are substantial.

5 May 2026
The Quiet Restructuring of Australian Banking Law
The Agenda
Banking & FinanceFintech

The Quiet Restructuring of Australian Banking Law

Australia's banking and finance lawyers are operating in a period of genuine legal flux — one driven not by a single legislative overhaul but by a confluence of regulatory shifts, technological disruption, and changing institutional expectations. The map is being redrawn in real time.

5 May 2026
Rebalancing the Ledger: A New Framework for Section 79 and the 75(2) Intersection
The Agenda
FamilyPolitics & Policy

Rebalancing the Ledger: A New Framework for Section 79 and the 75(2) Intersection

As the Family Law Act continues its slow evolution, the tension between past contributions and future requirements remains a point of friction for practitioners. A clearer distinction between Section 79 and Section 75(2) is not just a technicality, but a necessity for equitable outcomes in the modern era.

5 May 2026
The Perimeter of Privilege: Cybersecurity Obligations for the Independent Bar
The Agenda
Barristers

The Perimeter of Privilege: Cybersecurity Obligations for the Independent Bar

Cybersecurity is no longer an IT issue; it is a fundamental regulatory obligation. This article examines the shifting requirements for data protection and why the independent bar is a high-value target for digital threats.

5 May 2026
Beyond the Clerk: The Rise of the Decentralised Australian Chambers
The Agenda
Innovation & TechnologyAIBarristers

Beyond the Clerk: The Rise of the Decentralised Australian Chambers

The traditional "clerk" has been the gatekeeper of the Australian bar for a century. But as self-employed practitioners embrace tools like Lovable and automated practice management, the necessity of the middleman is being questioned.

5 May 2026
The Specialist Path: Navigating the VLA Independent Children’s Lawyer Panel
The Agenda
Career DevelopmentGovernmentPolitics & Policy

The Specialist Path: Navigating the VLA Independent Children’s Lawyer Panel

Becoming an Independent Children’s Lawyer is more than a career move; it is a commitment to a specific, highly regulated form of advocacy. The Profession breaks down the current landscape for Victorian practitioners seeking to join the specialist list.

5 May 2026
Section

Opinion

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The Costs of the Costs Rules
Opinion
Politics & PolicyCosts Law

The Costs of the Costs Rules

The indemnity principle, party-party cost orders, and the operation of cost sanctions in Australian civil litigation are frequently discussed as access to justice tools. They are not working as intended — and the reform conversation needs to be more honest about why.

5 May 2026
The Billable Hour Isn't the Problem. Our Relationship with It Is.
Opinion
Finance & PricingInnovation & Technology

The Billable Hour Isn't the Problem. Our Relationship with It Is.

The legal profession's periodic campaigns against the billable hour tend to generate more heat than insight. The real question isn't whether time-based billing is philosophically defensible — it's whether law firms and their clients are having the right conversations about value, risk, and fairness.

5 May 2026
Why Legal Leadership is Now a Design Challenge
Opinion
StrategyLeadership

Why Legal Leadership is Now a Design Challenge

The next generation of legal leaders will be defined by their ability to build resilient, automated infrastructures that empower their teams and protect their clients.

5 May 2026
The Economic Case for Intersectionality in the Boardroom
Opinion
Corporate & M&ADiversity & Inclusion

The Economic Case for Intersectionality in the Boardroom

True diversity in Corporate and M&A law requires a move beyond surface-level metrics toward a deeper understanding of intersectional perspectives.

5 May 2026
The Artisan Barrister: Why AI is an Augment, Not a Replacement
Opinion
AIBoutique & NewLawBarristers

The Artisan Barrister: Why AI is an Augment, Not a Replacement

As artificial intelligence begins to handle the "heavy lifting" of legal research and document drafting, what remains for the human practitioner? The Profession explores whether a return to the "artisan" model of legal practice is warranted, or inevitable.

5 May 2026
The Fragility of the Façade: Moving Beyond Performance-Based Wellbeing
Opinion
HR & TalentWellbeing

The Fragility of the Façade: Moving Beyond Performance-Based Wellbeing

Wellbeing in the law has become a "performance" rather than a practice. Until we address the structural pressures of the billable hour and the culture of availability, superficial initiatives will continue to fail.

5 May 2026

The views expressed by contributing authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Profession.