When an Administrative Error Becomes a Legal Risk: Lessons from Travelex and Who Bears the Cost
A High Court ruling on administrative error shows how easily a mistaken allocation can shift financial risk onto the wrong party. Escrow prevents similar cost-shifting in litigation by keeping all funds client-controlled. Two independent lawyers, audited safeguards, and no referral fees keep strategy and budget clean.
When Formal Control Isn’t Real Control: Lessons from Bywater for Modern Clients
The High Court’s decision in Bywater shows that real control sits with the person who actually makes the decisions. Many clients face the same risk when a single lawyer controls both strategy and trust funds. Clean Law’s escrow model returns practical control to the client, with independent oversight and no shared incentives.
When Rules Look Like Technology: Aristocrat and the Risk of Paying for Schemes
Aristocrat highlights how schemes can look technical while changing nothing. Escrow oversight ensures clients never fund that dynamic.
When Rights Don’t Exist Until They Suddenly Do: The Hidden Timing Trap in Patent Extensions
The Lundbeck decision highlights a hidden risk: rights that seem obvious commercially may not exist legally until much later. Escrow and independent oversight prevent costly timing errors in litigation.
When Ownership Meets Power: What Calidad v Seiko Epson Reveals About Hidden Limits on Your Rights
A short, clear breakdown of Australasian Memory Pty Ltd v Brien: how a timing error in a creditors’ meeting led the High Court to clarify the breadth of s 447A and why independent oversight protects businesses from similar procedural risks.
When Pressure Isn’t Urgency: The High Court’s Discipline in Digi-Tech v Kalifair
When judgment debts exceed $42 million and related entities blur where money really sits, urgency becomes a legal question — not a commercial feeling. Digi-Tech v Kalifair shows why stays, enforcement freezes and timing pressures must be handled with structural discipline, not speed.
When Authority Blurs, Risk Explodes: The Lesson of Pacific Carriers v BNP Paribas
A bank officer signed an indemnity she was not authorised to sign, and the High Court held the bank to the appearance of authority it created. Pacific Carriers v BNP Paribas shows how unclear internal systems can expose others to major loss — and why visible, reliable authority is essential in any modern legal or commercial decision.
Clarity Without Guesswork: What Mount Bruce Mining v Wright Prospecting Teaches Every Australian About Contracts
A decades-old mining agreement triggered a $130 million dispute because key phrases were read differently years later. The High Court restored commercial common sense: contracts mean what reasonable businesspeople would understand in their proper context. This case shows how clarity of structure protects everyone — and how ambiguity grows costly when decisions rely on a single interpretation.
When a Bank Can Charge You Even When You Did Nothing Wrong
When the High Court decided Andrews v ANZ (2012), it reshaped the law on penalties — proving that a fee can be unlawful even without a contractual breach. In today’s business world of automatic surcharges and hidden “service fees,” that principle still stands guard. Fair charging isn’t just a moral duty; it’s a legal one.