Shine Lawyers Explained

Shine Lawyers
Type:	Public law firm
Traded As:	(Shine Justice Group)
Foundation:	as KG Shine & Co
Founder:	Kerry Shine, Simon Morrison & Stephen Roche
Services:	Personal injury law, compensation law, workers compensation law, car accident claims, public liability claims, toxic exposure, silica and dust disease claims, class actions, aviation law, abuse law, product liability, medical negligence, brain injury claims, workplace claims and super and insurance claims.

Shine Lawyers is an Australian law firm specialising in personal injury compensation law, operating on a no win no fee basis.^[1] The firm has expanded into providing toxic exposure, silica and dust disease, abuse and medical negligence services through a number of acquisitions.^{[2] [3] [4]}

Founded in Toowoomba in 1976, the firm is now headquartered in Brisbane, Australia, and currently has over 700 employees based across more than 40 offices across Australia and New Zealand.^[5]

History

Shine Lawyers was founded in 1976 (then known as KG Shine & Co) by Kerry Shine, an Australian Labor Party politician who was member of the Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2012 and Attorney-General of Queensland from 2006 to 2009. It was rebranded as Shine Lawyers in 2006, under then managing partner Stephen Roche and current managing director Simon Morrison.^[6] It was one of the first law firms in the world to list on the ASX, in May 2013.^{[7] [8]}

Acquisitions and mergers

Since 1976 Shine Lawyers has acquired and integrated more than 20 other legal firms.^[9] The firm has revealed plans to move into the UK legal market as part of an international acquisition strategy.^[10]

Notable current and past cases

Since 1976, Shine Lawyers have handled some difficult and widely publicised cases that have come before Australian Courts.

• In 2001, Shine Lawyers represented a woman who had suffered abuse as a student at Toowoomba Preparatory School.^[11] The civil court decision awarded a record payout to the victim, and a subsequent inquiry led to the resignation of the governor-general Peter Hollingworth.^[12]
• Notable personal injury cases include the car accident compensation case for Ray and Marion Whitley,^[13] the medical negligence compensation case for Zac Ward^[14] and the workers compensation case for Steven Reynolds.^[15]

Notable class actions

• On 27 September 2011, Shine Lawyers commenced a class action against DePuy International Ltd and Johnson & Johnson on behalf of Australians affected by faulty DePuy ASR hip implants.^[16] It is alleged that the DePuy ASR hip implants were defective, not fit for their intended purpose and/or not of merchantable quality, in contravention of provisions of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth).
• On 16 October 2012, Shine Lawyers commenced a class action against Johnson & Johnson and Ethicon on behalf of Australians suffering complications as a result of faulty prolapse mesh implants.^[17] In March 2020, the Federal Court decided in favour of the three lead applicants, awarding them $2.6 million in damages. Johnson & Johnson’s appeal was dismissed in March 2021.^[18] On the 5th of November 2021, the High Court of Australia dismissed Johnson & Johnson’s application for special leave to appeal.

Notes and References

1. Web site: No Win No Fee Services. Shine Lawyers. 28 December 2013.
2. Web site: Shannon Donaldson Merges with Shine Lawyers. The Chronicle. 13 November 2014.
3. Web site: Cleary & Lee Merger with Shine Lawyers. The Chronicle. 13 November 2014.
4. Web site: Whealing. Justin. Brockovich adds sparkle to Shine HQ. Lawyers Weekly. 26 December 2013.
5. Web site: Shine Branch Locations. Shine Lawyers. 26 December 2013.
6. Web site: Our History. 26 March 2021.
7. Web site: Eyers. James. Shine Lawyers harnesses star power for its IPO. Financial Review. Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd. 26 December 2013.
8. Web site: SHINING LIGHT OF PUBLIC LAW. Brisbane Business News. 26 December 2013.
9. Web site: Shine Lawyers Prospectus. Shine Lawyers. 26 December 2013.
10. Web site: Merritt. Chris. Shine Lawyers looks to buy into British market. The Australian. News Ltd. 28 December 2013.
11. Web site: Law firm offers free advice on sex-abuse claims. Topsfield. Jewel. 27 July 2011. The Age. 7 August 2019.
12. Web site: How the royal commission can help Toowoomba to heal – again. 18 February 2014. Crikey. 7 August 2019.
13. Web site: Whitley. Marion. Road rage victims earn 670k payout. The Chronicle. 13 November 2014.
14. Web site: Ward. Zac. Court Awards little Zac Ward a record 644 million payout for injuries sustained during birth. The Courier Mail. 13 November 2014.
15. Web site: Reynolds. Steven. 2m payout for elevator fall. Yahoo News. 13 November 2014.
16. Web site: Shine Lawyers DePuy class action page. Shine Lawyers. 20 March 2014.
17. Web site: Shine Lawyers Johnson and Johnson prolapse mesh action page. Shine Lawyers. 13 November 2014.
18. Web site: Wells. Jamelle. Johnson & Johnson loses pelvic mesh court appeal. 4 March 2021. ABC News. 26 March 2021.