Lin v Zhou [2023] NSWSC 886

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Lin v Zhou [2023] NSWSC 886 Hearing dates: 20 July 2023 Date of orders: 31 July 2023 Decision date: 31 July 2023 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Henry J Decision: (1) Dismiss the Amended Summons filed on 20 July 2023. (2) Unless a party makes an application for a different costs order within 14 days, the plaintiffs are to pay the defendants' costs of the proceedings on the ordinary basis as agreed or assessed. Catchwords: OCCUPATIONS — legal practitioners — solicitors — whether solicitors should be restrained from acting for plaintiffs' former clients in proceedings in the District Court of New South Wales concerning the provision of migration and visa services — where solicitors had acted for and had dealings with first plaintiff — where no existing retainer between solicitors and plaintiffs — where first plaintiff advised that solicitors could not act for him and he should seek separate legal representation — whether plaintiffs disclosed confidential information to solicitors — where no solicitor-client relationship or expectation of confidentiality existed at relevant times — where information not confidential — solicitors not restrained Legislation Cited: Evidence Act 1995 (NSW) Cases Cited: Edgecliff Car Rentals Pty Ltd (deregistered) [2017] NSWSC 244 Kallinicos v Hunt (2005) 64 NSWLR 561; [2005] NSWSC 1181 Macquarie Bank Ltd v Myer [1994] 1 VR 350 Mumbin v Northern Territory of Australia (No 1) [2020] FCA 475 Porter v Dyer (2022) 402 ALR 659; [2022] FCAFC 116 Ward v Westpac Banking Corp Ltd [2022] NSWSC 66 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Shao Hua Lin (First Plaintiff) Auslink Professional Group Pty Ltd (Second Plaintiff) Ying Zhang (Third Plaintiff) Ren Zhou (First Defendant) Ren Zhou Group Pty Ltd trading as Ren Zhou Lawyers (Second Defendant) Xin Sun (Third Defendant) Representation: Counsel: A Hopkins (Defendants)