Eleven senior counsel representing four tobacco companies and the federal government today appeared before High Court Justice William Gummow, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The meeting comes in preparation for the three-day hearing starting on 17 April in Canberra.
The counsels include Allan Myers QC, Alan Archibald QC and Bret Walker SC, three of Australia's highest paid barristers. Philip Morris, British American Tobacco Australasia, Imperial Tobacco Australia and Japan Tobacco International are suing the government, claiming plain packaging violates the Australian Constitution because the government is trying to take their brands without paying compensation.
The plain packaging laws were passed by Parliament in November, but the introduction of the green packaging with health warnings will not come into effect until December this year. (pi)