Author Archives: Leonie Chapman
Bank Fees – ANZ Customers’ day in Court
Approximately 38,000 ANZ Bank customers who are part of a class action to fight the return of more than $220 million bank fees, get their day in court today. The ANZ Bank case is the test case as part of a wider … Continue reading
Who needs an office when the future is already here
Posted to Dynamic Business on 7 November 2013 by Stephanie Zillman in Digital, eCommerce, Featured, News, Women in Business There are a few professions which evoke a certain ‘old-school’ feel. Innovation isn’t the done thing. Talk of technology means email and … Continue reading
LAWYAL Solicitors – Starting a New Law Firm From the Cloud Up
By Legal Practice Intelligence – published on 18 November 2013 LAWYAL Solicitors (pronounced ‘loyal’ solicitors) was founded by Leonie Chapman in mid 2013. Leonie is a commercial lawyer who has worked in top law firms and in-house. She has spent the … Continue reading
Director Guarantees – Goldsmith v Macquarie Leasing
Goldsmith v Macquarie Leasing Pty Ltd By Leonie Chapman, LAWYAL Solicitors (first published in LexisNexis’ Australian Banking and Finance Law Bulletin (2013) 29(2)) Lenders and financiers often provide finance to a company borrower on the basis that the company directors give personal … Continue reading
Using Technology to Unbundle Legal Services
I believe that providing unbundled legal services in Australia may be one way to provide better access to these services for small businesses. According to Harvard Journal of Law & Technology Occasional Paper Series dated February 2013 – Using Technology … Continue reading
LAWYAL online legal advice – how it works
While traditional law firms in Australia are lagging behind other industries on the technology front, to kick off a new technological age of mobile legal advice LAWYAL Solicitors has developed bespoke software to allow Australian businesses to seek advice from … Continue reading
Watch out for penalty clauses in contracts
If your contracts contain fees imposed for breach or that apply upon termination, be mindful that special treatment is now given to “penalty” clauses, which may be deemed void or unenforceable. Generally, parties are free to negotiate contracts and determine what … Continue reading
Embracing technology in legal services
I believe the legal profession is behind the times when it comes to embracing technology, including what has been labelled ‘teleworking’. Truly embracing technology goes beyond just handing each lawyer a shiny new blackberry or iPhone, or even the recent … Continue reading
Finally, affordable online legal advice for SMEs
My name is Leonie Chapman, co-founder and the Legal Practitioner Director of LAWYAL Solicitors, an online law firm created to make legal services more accessible and affordable to companies and small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). After spending the last decade as in-house … Continue reading
LAWYAL Insights 