A falling out among some of the ACT's most prominent lawyers has ended in a Federal Court ruling awarding $500,000 in compensation to a woman who lost out in a disputed share deal.

The case centred on shares in Aulich Civil Law (ACL) and Aulich Property Trading (APT), both founded by former Canberra lawyer Ben Aulich.

The court found that, initially, the two companies had issued 100 shares each, with 25 per cent held by Joanna Scott, the wife of barrister Jack Pappas, who was Mr Aulich's colleague.

Mr Aulich held 25 per cent of shares, alongside fellow lawyer Peter Woodhouse and solicitor Erin Taylor, who each also held 25 per cent of the shares.

Value of shares drops from $500,000 to $494

In 2020, as the pandemic loomed, the court noted the firm's principals had become concerned abou

See Full Page