Business Law and Corporate Law

When a business is under financial pressure, resigning as a director may seem like a clean exit, but in Australia, stepping down typically ends responsibilities going forward without erasing liabilities that arose during your tenure.

Justice Lee's recent Star Entertainment decision has sparked questions about its implications for mergers and acquisitions activity.

The Federal Court of Australia has ruled that Star Entertainment Group's former CEO and chief legal officer breached their statutory duties by failing to properly escalate critical anti-money laundering risks and misleading communications to the board, while dismissing claims against non-executive directors. This landmark decision establishes crucial precedents for executive accountability, information governance, and the indivisibility of duties for officers holding multiple roles, with implications extend

Family Trusts are widely used in Australia to hold property, operate businesses and manage family wealth. Many individuals believe that placing assets in a trust automatically protects them from a property settlement if a relationship breaks down. However, under the Australian Family Act, the reality is more complex.

Recent developments in the trust world in 2025.

On Tuesday, 14 October 2025, the High Court of Australia heard the appeal in Commissioner of Taxation of the Commonwealth of Australia v. Bendel & Anor.

Justice Lee's recent Star Entertainment decision has sparked questions about its implications for mergers and acquisitions activity.

The recent Ausmincon/Afry scheme has reignited debate over naked no vote break fees in Australian M&A transactions. While these fees have been largely absent from public deals for the past decade, the Court's decision reconfirms they are not inherently coercive and need not be minimal. What factors enabled this $1 million break fee—exceeding 1% of equity value—to withstand judicial scrutiny?

In this matter, the Court had regard to the specific circumstances of shareholdings being unable to be sold on the open market and the terms of the shareholders agreement.

Australia’s new merger control regime has been in force since 1 January 2026, with the ACCC noting it is ‘off to a positive start’.

Justice Lee's recent Star Entertainment decision has sparked questions about its implications for mergers and acquisitions activity.

The recent Ausmincon/Afry scheme has reignited debate over naked no vote break fees in Australian M&A transactions. While these fees have been largely absent from public deals for the past decade, the Court's decision reconfirms they are not inherently coercive and need not be minimal. What factors enabled this $1 million break fee—exceeding 1% of equity value—to withstand judicial scrutiny?