What a great year 2018 has been for us here at Lynn and Brown Lawyers! We look back at your favourite articles for last year, here are the top read articles for each month.
January, the beginning of 2018, we heard so much in the news regarding companies going into administration. Every day another company announcing that they are going bust. From Channel 10 to Topshop, no one was immune from market pressures. This article discussed tips on how you can get your business back on track or prepare it for a smooth winding up process. Read more here.
The most popular article for February was an article called Employers beware – Drug and alcohol testing in the workplace. This article was an informational piece for employers who have been or are thinking of giving their employees drug and alcohol testing. Surprisingly, the legal position on issues of drug and alcohol use is not always clear cut. We are still seeing industrial disputes and unfair dismissal claims where employees and unions are challenging employer actions in tackling work-related risks of drug and alcohol.
In March, we discussed where the law stands on workplace relationships. With the Barnaby Joyce scandal all over the news, Australians began to wonder what the law says about sexual relationships in the workplace. If you would like to learn more, read our article here.
In April we posed a question to our readers: Have you ever wondered if your ex-partner is entitled to half of your lottery winnings? Well most of our readers did! This article discusses the financial aspects of separation and property settlements, what your rights are and more. For more information, read our article here.
In May, we wrote an article about the rising frequency of Elder Financial Abuse in Australia, in particular elder financial abuse. The term Early Inheritance Syndrome has come about as stats are showing an increasing amount of children wanting to “cash in” from their parents before they pass away.
In June, we discussed the role that cryptocurrency plays in the division of assets post separation and how this is viewed in the Family Court. Because of the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies and the ease in which they can be transferred, cryptocurrencies can potentially allow parties to hide their assets from their former partner. Read more about Cryptocurrency and Disclosure in the Family Court.
In 2015, 19 year old Charlotte Pemberton was killed by a speeding motorcyclist who did not hold a license. The accused was convicted and sentenced to just over 4 years imprisonment. This sentence resulted in an even greater outcry from the community for tougher maximum penalties for dangerous drivers who cause death or bodily harm. The most popular article for July was about a new legislation was passed called “Charlotte’s Law”, read more here.
2018 brought in the Royal Banking Commission and with that there were a lot of questions that the Australian public had. With all the corruption that was uncovered with the big four and other financial institutions, we discussed whether this could be treated as a criminal act. Our most popular article for August, goes into more detail with one bank in particular – Is NAB guilty of a crime?
In a world of auto-correct and predict text, Google found itself in hot water when the search engine’s “autocomplete prediction” appeared to link an Australian man to Melbourne’s notorious gangland killings. After having the decision overturned in 2016, the Australian High Court granted Milorad “Michael” Trkulja the right to sue search engine giant Google for defamation in June 2018. Read more about the most popular article of September where we discuss if you can Sue Google for Defamation.
In October, American multimillionaire Bill Tai has predicted that Perth could become the world’s next Silicon Valley, saying, “If we get dozens of smart people together in such a terrific city as Perth, we could create something really substantial”. In this article we gave some tips on how we can assist entrepreneurs in achieving their goals. Read the full article here.
The most popular article for November was about Business Succession Planning – a documented strategy to determine the best way for you to exit your business while ensuring the continuity of the business and a good exit strategy for the new owner. A successful Business Succession Plan will determine who will take leadership and/or ownership of the business when you leave. We shared our five top tips to help you, read them here.
And lastly for December, we wrote an article about what age can a child be before they are allowed to choose which parent they want to live with. There is a common misconception that once children reach a certain age (e.g. at around age 12), they are able to determine which of their parents they will live with. This is not correct. We discuss how the Family Court decides at what age a child can choose whom to live with. To learn more, click here.
