Insights
Calculating Time: Distinguishing Between "At Least X Days Before" and "X Days Before" An Event
This blog was originally published in 2020 by Professor Sharon Christensen, Queensland University of Technology, and has been updated in the Australian Property Law Bulletin in 2026 to reflect current case law and drafting considerations. Clauses imposing time limits on the performance of contractual obligations are fertile ground for disputes, and non-compliance is often raised by parties seeking to terminate contracts...
Smart City Procurement and Contracts: Key Legal Risks in Multi-Vendor Technology Projects
Authored by Alison Cripps , Head of Workplace, In-House and Technology, Practical Guidance “It’s just a smart precinct pilot - nothing major.” Two meetings later, the diagram tells a different story. Cameras and IoT sensors feed into a telecommunications network, which connects to a cloud host, a platform provider, an integrator and an analytics layer. Data moves through all of it. The procurement timeline still assumes...
Australia’s AML/CTF regime: What’s changed and what’s coming in 2026?
Introduction Australia’s laws to prevent money laundering and terrorism financing are undergoing their biggest overhaul in almost two decades . These reforms touch everything from digital assets to professional services such as law, accounting and real estate. Understanding them is now essential for businesses that handle customer funds, transfer value, or provide high-risk services. This guide breaks down what has...
Legal AI Workflows: What’s Coming Next for Australian Legal Professionals
The use of artificial intelligence in legal practice continues to mature. While early adoption focused on discrete applications such as drafting assistance, document summarisation, and research support, attention is increasingly shifting toward how AI can support legal work in a more structured and dependable way. This shift has brought legal AI workflows into sharper focus. Rather than supporting isolated tasks...
Ethical AI in the Workplace: Reducing Workload, Improving Efficiency, and Managing Compliance Risks
Introduction Artificial intelligence is reshaping the ways organisations manage the entire employment lifecycle, from screening resumes and identifying potential candidates to supporting employee development, analysing workforce skills, and assisting with HR processes. While AI offers powerful opportunities to reduce workload, improve efficiency, and transform how teams operate, its integration into the workplace also...
Construction Law Reform in Australia: What to Expect In 2026
Authored by Jennifer Raphael , Senior Legal Writer, Construction. 2026 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for construction law in Australia. Across multiple jurisdictions, governments are moving from reform design to implementation, with significant legislative changes scheduled to commence or progress. This article outlines the key construction law developments expected in New South Wales , Victoria , Queensland...
Legal AI in Action: Highlights from the 2025 LexisNexis Legal AI Showcase
Across Australia and New Zealand, legal professionals are embracing a new era of AI-powered transformation. At the 2025 LexisNexis Legal AI Showcase , hundreds of attendees tuned in to see how Lexis+ AI is reshaping the profession. From trusted legal research to integrated legal workflows, and what’s next with the launch of Protégé General AI . Hosted by Jessica Clark, Emerging Technology Solutions Consultant, and...
Inside the Innovation: How Protégé™︎ General AI Was Built to Balance Power, Privacy, and Choice
Authored by Seeta Bodke , Head of Product - Pacific, LexisNexis® Legal & Professional At LexisNexis, our mission is to advance the rule of law through responsible innovation. The launch of Protégé General AI marks an important milestone in that journey bringing a secure, trusted, and adaptable AI assistant to legal professionals across Australia. Protégé General AI allows users to select from a bouquet of large language...
2025 Legal Year in Review: Key Australian Law Changes and What’s Ahead for 2026
As 2025 draws to a close, Australia’s legal landscape reflects another year of reform focused on accountability, fairness, and technological adaptation. From mandatory merger notifications and franchising reforms to landmark changes in family, aged care, and privacy law, 2025 has reshaped many of the frameworks that underpin Australian legal practice. Courts and regulators have also responded dynamically to emerging...
Age Assurance Under the Online Safety Act: The Online Industry’s Final Countdown
Authored by Allison Lawrence, Senior Legal Writer, Technology & Innovation. Australia’s online safety framework is about to reach a major turning point. On 10 December 2025, the new age-assurance obligations introduced by the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 (Cth) will take effect. From that date, any service designated as an “age-restricted social media service” under the Online Safety...
Climate Litigation and Evolving Legal Duties: How Climate Risk Is Reshaping Legal Practice
Authored by Hayley Tam , Head of Built Environment & Disputes, Practical Guidance, and Research by Feng Emily Lizzio, Paralegal, Practical Guidance. Climate change is rapidly reshaping our physical environment as well as the legal and regulatory landscape. As the consequences of climate-related risks become more foreseeable, lawyers in every field - from corporate and finance, to property and disputes - face evolving...
Choosing the Right Legal AI Tool for Your In-House Team
Introduction The pressure on organisations to embrace Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology while delivering greater efficiency seems like it has never been higher than in today’s business environment. For in-house legal teams, the opportunities presented by AI adoption are particularly compelling. In-house lawyers spend much of their time on repetitive, operational tasks such as answering legal questions, contract...
Protégé™︎ General AI: Bringing Legal and General AI Together for Australian Lawyers in Lexis+ AI®︎
As AI becomes more common in legal practice, many professionals are discovering an unexpected challenge: their tools don’t always work together. A typical day for an Australian lawyer might involve switching between multiple systems: a legal-specific AI for case law research, ChatGPT for general drafting, and Claude for brainstorming or summarisation. Each tool may excel in its own area, but the constant back-and...
Making the transition to mandatory climate reporting: The pivotal role of In-house counsel
Mandatory climate reporting has commenced in Australia following the enactment of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Act 2024 (Cth) on 17 September 2024. The introduction of the mandatory climate reporting regime in Australia marks a significant shift in climate accountability and reporting for entities in Australia and it also positions Australia as a global leader in climate...
Navigating the 2025 Aged Care Reforms: Implications for Lawyers and Older Australians
Kiren Chitkara , Legal Writer, Practical Guidance Succession Chloe Silvester , Head of General Practice, Practical Guidance November 2025 marks one of the most significant transformations in Australia’s aged care system in over two decades. The commencement of the Aged Care Act 2024 (Cth) and accompanying legislation represents the culmination of reforms first recommended by the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality...
Legal AI, Perfected: How Lexis+ AI®︎ with Protégé™︎ Transforms Everyday Practice
For decades, LexisNexis ® has defined legal research. But research is just the beginning. Today, we’re transforming the entire legal workflow, evolving from a research provider into a technology partner for the modern legal profession. Lexis+ AI with Protégé represents this evolution: an AI Assistant that moves as fast as the technology around it, while maintaining the trust, privacy, and precision our customers expect...
Legal AI, Not Just ChatGPT: Why Lawyers Need Tools They Can Trust
Authored by Seeta Bodke , Head of Product - Pacific, LexisNexis® Legal & Professional We all know the stories: briefs cited fake cases. Submissions with phantom judgments. Entire arguments are built on citations that don’t exist. Across Australia, a growing list of cases has shown what happens when generative AI is used without proper oversight, and why lawyers remain cautious about its place in legal practice. ...
Transforming Policy and Practice in South Australia’s Domestic Violence Response
Capital Monitor™ Editorial by Keely Garcia A single week in November 2023 saw four women lose their lives in South Australia amid domestic and family violence, an alarming record across any Australian jurisdiction. Shaken by a series of domestic violence-related deaths, the public outcry called for an inquiry into systemic failures that left victim-survivors trapped and voiceless. Fast-forward to 19 August 2025, Royal...
Agentic AI in Law: How Australian Firms Can Evolve Workflows While Protecting Data
Artificial intelligence is transforming the legal industry, there’s no doubt about that, but the conversation is shifting from chatbots and generative AI to something far more powerful: agentic AI. The legal profession is no stranger to technological disruption. From the typewriter to e-discovery, each wave has been met with initial scepticism and eventual assimilation. But today’s technological shift feels different...
The Productivity Trap: How Context Switching is Costing Lawyers More Than They Realise
In today’s fast-paced legal environment, the pressure to produce high-quality work quickly is intensifying. Yet, the very digital tools meant to boost productivity are often doing the opposite. Lawyers find themselves constantly switching between drafting, researching, reviewing, and formatting, often across disconnected platforms. Instead of streamlining work, this cycle of digital distraction is harming efficiency...
Infographic: The Family Law Act Now Includes Furry Friends!
Companion animals now recognised as more than property in family law decisions. On 10 June 2025, major reforms to Australia’s Family Law Act 1975 (Cth) came into effect. For the first time, Australian courts now recognise companion animals as more than just property. These changes acknowledge pets as valued members of the family, empowering courts to consider their welfare, emotional bonds, and safety when making...
Legal AI in Australia: Recap of Our Protégé Webinar Series
Australian lawyers have a reputation for being pragmatic; and this trait shows when the conversation turns to artificial intelligence. There’s no blind rush to adopt the latest shiny tool, no “AI or bust” mentality. Instead, what we’re seeing is something much more considered: careful curiosity. And this theme came through loud and clear in our recent three-part Protégé webinar series, held throughout August in the...
Reforming Australia’s Merger Clearance Process: Navigating the New Mandatory Review Regime
Australia’s merger clearance process is undergoing significant reform, driven by longstanding concerns the current voluntary, informal regime does not sufficiently prevent anticompetitive mergers. After petitioning from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and an engaged response from the Federal Government, Australia is now transitioning to a mandatory administrative clearance regime designed to...
How AI Elevates the Employee Experience for Corporate Legal Teams—and Drives Economic Value
As AI is poised to transform workplaces, employee engagement is falling, resulting in a real economic cost. For corporate legal departments, AI adoption presents a significant opportunity to increase department efficiency—while also improving employee experience and facilitating career growth. In a new commissioned Total Economic Impact (TEI) study, Forrester Consulting found that the Lexis+ AI® legal research, drafting...
Making the Most of Outside Counsel Spend with Lexis+ AI®︎
Corporate legal departments are under increasing pressure to do more with less. A key area of opportunity lies in how organisations manage their outside counsel spend. With outside counsel hourly rates continuing to rise and external legal work accounting for a significant portion of department budgets, legal leaders are rethinking how to maximise the value of these costs. One powerful enabler in this shift is generative...