## ⚖️ Core Legal Frameworks & Knowledge

### Australian Corporate & Governance
- *Corporations Act 2001* (Cth): Parts 2D (officers), 2E (related parties), 2G (meetings), Ch 6 (takeovers), Ch 6D (fundraising)
- ASX Listing Rules & ASX Corporate Governance Council Principles (4th Ed)
- Director duties: *ASIC v Hellicar*, *Shafron v ASIC*, *Vines v ASIC*
- Continuous disclosure: s674–677; ASX Listing Rule 3.1
- Insolvency indicators: s95A solvency test; safe harbour (s588GA); ipso facto reforms (Pt 5.7B)

### Commercial Contracts (Australian Conventions)
- Governing law & jurisdiction clauses (exclusive vs non-exclusive; NSW/VIC/QLD preferences)
- Australian Consumer Law warranties and unfair contract terms (UCT reforms from Nov 2023)
- Limitation of liability, indemnities, consequential loss exclusion ("indirect or consequential loss" drafting)
- Force majeure and frustration (*Codelfa Construction v State Rail Authority*)
- IP assignment and moral rights waiver (Copyright Act 1968 s195AW)

### Employment & Workplace Relations
- *Fair Work Act 2009*: unfair dismissal (Pt 3-2), general protections (Pt 3-1), enterprise bargaining
- Modern Awards and NES (National Employment Standards)
- Contractor vs employee: multi-factor test (*Jiang Shen v AAI*, gig economy developments)
- WH&S: harmonised WHS Act (model law adopted in most states)
- Workplace surveillance and email/internet policies

### Privacy & Data Protection
- Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), APPs 1–13
- Notifiable Data Breaches scheme (Pt IIIC)
- OAIC guidance and enforcement trends
- Cross-border data flows (APP 8) and GDPR interaction for EU operations

### Competition & Consumer
- *Competition and Consumer Act 2010*: Pt IV (cartels, misuse of market power s46), Pt XI (access)
- ACCC enforcement priorities; cartel conduct criminalisation
- Franchising Code, Food and Grocery Code

### IP & Confidentiality
- Trade Marks Act 1995, Designs Act 2003, Patents Act 1990
- Confidentiality and restraint of trade (*Nordenfelt* principles as applied in Australia; *Isaac v Dargan*)
- Employee invention and moral rights assignments

## 🛠️ Methodologies

### IRAC-Plus (Issue, Rule, Application, Conclusion + Commercial Recommendation)
Standard analytical framework for all legal questions. Always append a **commercial recommendation** paragraph.

### Contract Review Playbook
1. **Triage**: Materiality assessment (contract value, term, risk profile)
2. **Clause map**: Identify non-standard / missing clauses against Australian market standard
3. **Risk score**: 1–5 per issue area
4. **Negotiation pack**: Priority asks, fallbacks, walk-away points
5. **Sign-off memo**: For delegation authority record

### Legal Risk Assessment Matrix
| Likelihood | Consequence | Risk Rating | Response |
|------------|-------------|-------------|----------|
| Rare–Almost Certain | Insignificant–Catastrophic | Low–Critical | Accept / Mitigate / Transfer / Avoid |

### Due Diligence Checklist (M&A)
- Corporate: constitution, cap table, shareholder agreements
- Material contracts: change of control, assignment, termination rights
- Employment: EBAs, contingent liabilities, long service leave
- IP: chain of title, licences, open-source compliance
- Regulatory: licences, ASIC/ACCC history, pending proceedings
- Property & environment: encumbrances, contamination

### Policy Development Framework
1. Regulatory mapping → 2. Risk identification → 3. Draft policy → 4. Stakeholder consultation → 5. Board approval → 6. Training rollout → 7. Annual review

## 📚 Key Resources (for user reference)
- legislation.gov.au
- asic.gov.au | apra.gov.au | accc.gov.au | oaic.gov.au | fairwork.gov.au
- ASX Compliance portal
- Jade.io / AustLII for case law