ByLawyers News and Updates

The Lighthouse Project – FED

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The Lighthouse Project is a new family-violence and risk screening initiative that will run in both the Family Court and the Federal Circuit Court for parenting matters. The legislative framework is provided by the recent Family Law Amendment (Risk Screening Protections) Act 2020.

The project will be initially available in the Adelaide, Brisbane and Parramatta registries of the courts. It is scheduled to commence before the end of 2020.

The Lighthouse Project includes:

  • early risk screening through a secure online platform;
  • early identification and management of safety concerns; and
  • assessment and triage of cases by a specialised team, who will provide resources and safe and suitable case management.

All cases identified as high-risk following the screening process will be referred to a dedicated list in the court. The specialist list will be known as the Evatt List. This will be a judge-managed list which will focus on early information gathering and intervention through a judge-led, dedicated support team in appropriate cases.

Both courts have a dedicated page on their websites with information about the Lighthouse Project.

The By Lawyers Family Law Children publication has been updated accordingly. Information on The Lighthouse Project has been included under Pre-Action procedures in the full commentary and on the matter plan. Practitioners are also reminded of the related information on family violence and cross-examination of parties, in the Going to court folders.

COVID-19 employment measures – FED

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The Commonwealth Government has introduced two new COVID-19 employment measures.

JobMaker Hiring Credit

This scheme enables payments to assist workplace participation by people aged 16 to 35 years.

The first year of this program runs from 7 October 2020 until 6 October 2021. It is intended that the program will be extended.

Eligible employers can claim $200 per week for each additional employee hired during this period aged 16 to 29 years. For employees aged 30 to 35 years employers can only claim $100.

Employees can be hired on a permanent, casual or fixed-term basis.

The payments are made as credits claimed quarterly in arrears from the Australian Taxation Office.

Paid parental leave work test period amendment

The work test period in the Paid Parental Leave Act has been temporarily amended. This applies to births and adoptions that occur between 22 March 2020 and 31 March 2021.

It allows access to parental leave pay and ‘dad and partner’ pay by those who do not otherwise meet the criteria of the work test due to the pandemic.

The work test requirements have not changed. An individual must have worked:

  • at least 10 months in their work test period; and
  • at least 330 hours in that 10-month period with no more than a 12-week gap between any two consecutive working days.

The work test period is usually 13 months prior to the birth or adoption of the child. The temporary change means that it is 20 months for parents who have had their employment impacted by COVID-19.

Information on these and previous COVID-19 employment measures see the commentary available at the top of every By Lawyers matter plan: Dealing with COVID-19 legal issues – Some practical information.

Traffic offences – VIC

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The By Lawyers Traffic Offences – VIC publication has been updated and revised.

With the final commencement of the Road Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2020 on 12 November 2020, the Road Safety Act 1986 has been amended to provide for immediate driver licence or learner permit suspensions in certain cases.

This includes excessive speed offences more than 45 kph over the speed limit which are mobile camera detected or for offences where a motor vehicle is used to cause serious injury or death, police can give the driver notice of immediate licence suspension. This requires the driver to surrender their licence for up to 12 months.

There are also immediate suspensions for certain drink and drug-driving offences and heavy vehicle offences.

These legislative amendments have been incorporated in the commentary in the Traffic Offences – VIC publication.

In addition, the commentary has been reviewed with resultant enhancements. The content is re-ordered for better workflow and improved searchability; specific sections have been added for various aspects of sentencing, such as obtaining medical reports; and links to VicRoads and Transport for Victoria online resources are enhanced. The matter plan has been revised to incorporate these revisions.

Discounts for guilty pleas – SA

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Provisions relating to discounts for guilty pleas have changed from 2 November, including for matters on foot as at that date.

The By Lawyers Magistrates Court – Criminal SA commentary has been amended accordingly. See particularly the section on Discounts on sentence for early pleas of guilty.

Section 39 of the Sentencing Act 2017 for summary and minor indictable offences treated summarily, and s 40 for other offences, provides that when passing sentence the court must take into account the fact that the offender pleaded guilty and when the offender pleaded guilty. The court can reduce the sentence it would have otherwise imposed up to certain percentages depending upon when the plea is entered.

Section 39(4) and s 40(5) Sentencing Act 2017 set out the considerations to which the court must have regard when determining an appropriate discount, including where the defendant is charged with or has pleaded guilty to more than one offence. Practitioners should note that some of those considerations now only apply to guilty pleas entered on or after 2 November 2020.

Specific percentage discounts for pleas of guilty are provided in the legislation for defendants pleading guilty to all types of offences in the Magistrates Court. To be eligible for the maximum reduction of the sentence that the court would otherwise have imposed, the defendant must enter the plea of guilty within four weeks of the first appearance.

In all cases, the considerations under s 39(4) and s 40(5) Sentencing Act 2017 include when the defendant first indicated an intention to plead guilty – it is therefore important, if seeking the maximum discount to indicate a likely plea of guilty to the court as soon as the instructions are to that effect, preferably on the first appearance, even if the actual plea cannot be entered until a later date due, for example, to negotiations over the facts.

Wills guide reviewed – QLD

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The continuing commitment of By Lawyers to updating and enhancing our publications has seen the Queensland Wills guide reviewed.

Subscribers using this popular publication will find a re-ordered and extended matter plan, revised and updated commentary and a number of new precedents. Execution is now a top-level heading on the matter plan, with dedicated commentary on issues such as blind witnesses, gifts to witnesses and solicitors as witnesses. The revisions also include:

  • First steps and taking instructions for wills
  • Testamentary capacity and the test in Banks v Goodfellow
  • The formal requirements for a valid will
  • Informal wills
  • Intestacy
  • Executors
  • Execution
  • Challenges to the validity of a will

New and amended precedents

  • Letter to client to confirming instructions
  • To do list
  • Instructions for signing
  • Letter reminding client that will is ready for signing

Other resources in the Wills guide reviewed

Links have been added to the By Lawyers reference materials Other trusted and useful resources. New cases have been added to 101 Succession Answers (QLD).

Both of these resources can be found in the Reference materials folder on the matter plan.

101 Costs Answers – ALL STATES

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101 Costs Answers is the latest addition to the By Lawyers ‘101’ series of helpful reference materials.

Located in the Reference materials folder on every By Lawyers matter plan, this publication contains valuable commentary and precedents on all aspects of legal costs.

The precedents include all of the By Lawyers costs agreements/client services agreements and costs disclosures, drawn together from all By Lawyers publications into a convenient single publication.

The By Lawyers costs agreements are compliant with the strict requirements of the various state laws. They cater for all areas of law, with detailed recitals of the scope of work usually undertaken in each type of matter. This not only defines the retainer but makes it easy for practitioners to produce documents quickly upon engagement.

The 101 Costs Answers commentary includes:

Disclosure requirements

The commentary helps practitioners to navigate some of the more complicated disclosure requirements including regulated costs and the specific obligations for different types of litigation matters. The effect of non-disclosure is also covered.

Disbursements

Commentary on defining and recovering disbursements includes relevant case law and examples. The By Lawyers costs agreements are drafted to clearly identify usual disbursements.

Counsel’s fees

The commentary deals with the contractual relationship between solicitors and barristers as well as disclosure requirements. With the solicitor responsible for payment of counsel’s fees regardless of the solicitor’s agreement with the client, the By Lawyers costs agreements include counsel’s fees as specific disbursements which the client is obliged to pay.

Debt recovery

Where debt recovery is necessary, 101 Costs Answers contains letters of demand and example pleadings to assist with the recovery of costs. There is also detailed commentary on costs assessment procedures and the relevant forms for each state are available on the matter plan.

Like all By Lawyers publications, 101 Costs Answers contains interactive links to relevant legislation and cases, which are always kept updated.

Personal Injury QLD

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The By Lawyers Personal Injury QLD publication has been reviewed, including the addition of a recent Supreme Court case relating to the extension of limitation periods.

Limitation periods are a critical consideration for practitioners advising and representing clients in personal injury claims. Strict limitation and notice periods apply. Extensions are possible under s 59 Personal Injuries Proceedings Act 2002, but good reasons for delay must be shown and the Court does not exercise its discretion to extend limitation periods lightly. Section 59 also applies to any extension of the limitation period that is granted under the Limitation of Actions Act 1974.

The issues relating to such an application were examined recently in Faram v Hensec Pty Limited [2020] QSC 327. The application to extend the limitation period in that case was refused where the applicant had failed to comply with the necessary pre-action procedures.

The By Lawyers Personal Injury QLD commentary deals in detail with limitation periods and pre-action procedures.

This review has also seen the commentary updated and revised for enhanced searchability.

Related By Lawyers guides for Queensland litigation include Motor Vehicle Accidents, Workers Compensation, District Court, Supreme Court and 101 Subpoena Answers.

Notice of risk – FED

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A new Notice of risk form has been released for use in the Family Court and Federal Circuit Court.

The new form is called ‘Notice of Child Abuse, Family Violence or Risk’. It harmonises the approach taken to risk notification in parenting matters. It is intended to assist in ensuring that families receive appropriate and targeted intervention within the family law system.

The new form replaces and consolidates the three previously prescribed forms, being:

  • Notice of Risk,
  • Notice of Child Abuse, Family Violence or Risk of Family Violence (Current Case), and
  • Notice of Child Abuse, Family Violence or Risk of Family Violence (Application for Consent Orders).

The new form must be completed by all parties filing an Initiating Application, Response or Application for Consent Orders where a parenting order is sought from 31 October 2020.

Applications that are part completed but have not yet been lodged for filing on the Commonwealth Courts Portal by 31 October 2020 will also need to have the new form completed.

If an allegation of child abuse or family violence, or risk of same, is made in the Notice then an affidavit must be filed setting out the evidence on which the allegation is based. In the Federal Circuit Court, this may be done within the affidavit filed with the Initiating Application or Response.

The Notice must be served on all other parties and any other relevant person as outlined in the form. The Notice of Risk should be eFiled where possible using the Commonwealth Courts Portal.

The new form enables a Judge or Registrar to consider multiple risk issues in addition to child abuse or family violence, at an earlier stage in proceedings. Multiple risk issues include mental health, substance abuse and threats of harm. The Notice will be referred to the relevant child welfare agency where appropriate.

This form is available on the matter plan of the By Lawyers Family Law – Children publication. The commentary has been updated to include some practical information on the use of the form.

New subpoena case – ACT

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A new subpoena case has been added to the By Lawyers reference manual 101 Subpoena Answers.

In Instyle Estate Agents Guhgahlin Pty Ltd v Hambrook [2020] ACTSC (26 October 2020) the court set aside a number of subpoenas in a civil matter, following Federal, NSW and previous ACT authorities.

The decision is particularly useful because it canvasses the plaintiffs’ four separate grounds for objection to the subpoenas, namely:

  • that they lacked a legitimate forensic purpose;
  • that they in effect sought discovery from non-parties, or alternatively, the terms of the subpoenas were impermissibly wide so as to constitute ‘fishing’;
  • that the terms of the schedules to each subpoena were so wide as to be oppressive; and
  • that the issuing party failed to pay both conduct money and money for the reasonable expenses of production.

McWilliam AsJ discussed and determined the court’s power and the applicable legal principles in respect of each of those grounds of objection.

This new subpoena case augments the many cases from all Australian jurisdictions to which links are provided in this helpful publication publication. It will particularly assist ACT practitioners in understanding and applying the law on subpoena objections.

101 Subpoena Answers is available in the Reference Materials folder on the matter plan in every By Lawyers litigation publication.

Family provision claims QLD

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New precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Family Provision Claims QLD publication.

Following an author review of the guides, there is new content on the matter plans for both Acting for the Estate and Acting for the Claimant.

The new content to assist practitioners acting for clients in relation to claims on a deceased estate under Part 4 ss 40-44 Succession Act 1981 and  Chapter 15 of the Uniform Civil Procedure Rules includes:

Acting for the Estate – new family provision precedents

  • Letter to beneficiary affected by settlement of claim
  • Letter to client after first directions hearing
  • Letter to client enclosing affidavits for signing
  • Letter to client enclosing draft affidavits
  • Letter to witness enclosing affidavit for signing

Acting for the Claimant – new family provision precedents

  • Letter to potential claimant
  • Authority to settle and receive
  • Direction to pay and authority to receive
  • Letter to client enclosing settlement deed
  • Deed of family arrangement
  • Letter to client after filing claim
  • Letter to client enclosing draft affidavit
  • Letter to client enclosing affidavit for signing
  • Letter to client after first directions hearing
  • Letter to client enclosing estate affidavits
  • Letter to witness enclosing affidavit for signing
  • Letter to client finalising the matter – Payment
  • Letter to client finalising the matter – No payment

This review of the Family Provision Claims QLD publication and the addition of these new family provision precedents is part of By Lawyers continuing commitment to enhancing our content and helping our subscribers enjoy practice more.

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