The helpful guidance on the 2026 Federal Budget changes, found in the Looking to the future section of the Reference materials folder on every By Lawyers matter plan, has been updated. A failure-to-warn window is open for practitioners in conveyancing, family law, estates, and business matters, where a client's position may be materially affected by the timing of a transaction.

Self managed superannuation funds can no longer borrow to buy residential real property, however existing arrangements are unaffected, and they can still borrow to buy business real property.

A small but practical change to the procedure for the police to seek substituted service of FVROs makes a substituted service order easier to obtain.

The By Lawyers Trusts guide now includes 7 new precedents to support practitioners advising on hybrid, charitable, and special disability trusts, covering client engagement and costs agreements, advice on different trust structures, and matter finalisation.

The By Lawyers Companies guide now includes 6 new precedents to streamline company formation and administration – covering consent of occupier, share offers and applications, share-issue and dividend resolutions, and dividend payment policy.

New additions to By Lawyers property settlement guide gives practitioners confidence that the correspondence they're sending is accurate and appropriate, reducing the risk of error that could lead to delay or complaint, and helping firms manage property settlement matters efficiently and consistently.

Seven new precedents have been added to the By Lawyers Self Managed Superannuation Fund guide, giving practitioners ready-to-use trustee resolutions and correspondence for transferring real property to a member, acquiring assets from a member or related party, and paying death benefits, helping document these key decisions quickly and compliantly.

The prompts have been drafted and tested by experienced lawyers with a focus on delivering practical tools that help law firms work more efficiently while reducing risk. They are integrated into By Lawyers matter plans so practitioners can leverage AI in a structured and reliable way, while maintaining professional standards and best-practice processes.

Law firms that are reporting entities under the AML/CTF regime are also subject to the Privacy Act 1988. By Lawyers has added a Privacy Policy and a Privacy Collection Notice to the Practice Management guide to make compliance easy.

Recent amendments to the County Court Civil Procedure Rules in Victoria create a new definition of persons under a disability and provide for costs by agreement on discontinuance or withdrawal.

The Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Act 2025 introduces significant changes to the Independent Legal Assistance and Review Service (ILARS) in NSW from 1 July 2026.

A new Practice Note SC CL 3 – Personal Injuries commenced on 1 July 2026, consolidating procedures for the Personal Injuries, Institutional Liability and Dust Diseases Lists. The By Lawyers Personal Injury (VIC) Guide has been updated to assist practitioners with the new requirements and case management procedures.

From 1 July 2026, the Legal Profession Uniform Legal Practice (Solicitors) Rules 2015 require all retainer agreements under the Legal Profession Uniform Law framework to inform the client of the statutory reporting obligations arising from the AML/CTF reforms.

By Lawyers are currently reviewing and enhancing the precedents in our Estates publications to provide firms with reliable resources that are written and maintained by experienced practitioners.

The Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment Act 2025 and the Workers Compensation Legislation Amendment (Reform and Modernisation) Act 2026 introduce substantial reforms to the workers compensation scheme.