Ever since it became the world’s first publicly traded law firm in 2007, Australia’s Slater & Gordon has grown accustomed to life in the spotlight. At first it thrived, expanding rapidly through acquisitions, including a transformative $960 million deal for the professional services division of insurance outsourcer Quindell Plc that made it one of the largest insurance claims firms in the U.K.

But Slater & Gordon has recently been creating headlines for the wrong reasons.