We undertake both advisory work and litigation relating to the full range of workplace relations, employment and safety issues. Our practice has advised on some of the highest profile workplace relations matters in Australia in recent times and our lawyers have been recommended by leading independent commentators such as Chambers and the Legal 500 Asia-Pacific.
Our focus is on providing responsive, decisive and commercially relevant advice, delivered in the most cost-effective way for businesses.
Ultimately, our aim is to work through legal issues efficiently, so our clients can get back to doing what they do best as quickly as possible – focussing on core business.
Our expertise includes:
Contracts, policies and procedures
Equal employment opportunity, harassment, discrimination and bullying
Work health and safety (including critical incident response)
Employment disputes, terminations and redundancies
Advice on employment entitlements and dealing with instances of underpayment and remediation
Workplace investigations
Industrial relations (enterprise bargaining, union right of entry, industrial disputes and instances of industrial action)
Executive terminations and post-employment restraints.
Our practice has a broad client base that cuts across key industries including building and construction, maritime and offshore, rail, mining, technology, security, real estate, retail, fast food and hospitality, beauty and cosmetics, health and financial services. We act for a number of leading international and S&P/ASX 200 listed companies in these industries as well as government, quasi-government bodies and large privately owned entities with repeat work that has driven the growth of the team.
Successfully acting for one of Australia’s largest mining companies in all contentious employment litigation matters ranging from unfair dismissals, general protections and statutory entitlement claims
Representing a company director in Australia’s first industrial manslaughter prosecution arising from a workplace fatality, obtaining a spent conviction and a fine
Undertaking sensitive workplace investigations involving allegations of workplace misconduct (harassment, discrimination, bullying, fraud and other workplace breaches) including dealing with multiple witnesses and producing succinct reports in a timely manner (along with recommendations if so desired)
Assisting Australia’s leading universities in industry negotiations for replacement enterprise agreements, including dealing with instances of industrial action and other bargaining disputes before the Fair Work Commission, and campaign strategy leading to a successful employee vote and approval of the agreements
Responding to critical safety incidents at workplaces (including remote sites) by assisting with legally privileged investigations and dealing with regulators including the defence of any subsequent prosecutions (against individuals and companies involved)
Representing a range of global contractors in the Federal Court concerning industrial relations disputes arising out of enterprise bargaining and associated enterprise agreement terms (including obtaining and resisting urgent interlocutory matters)
Advising one of Australia’s leading banks on all employment related matters arising from an acquisition of another bank, including employment entitlements and transfer of business issues
Successfully assisting a global company recover stolen data and highly confidential information from a former executive who sought to undertake employment for a competitor, along with enforcement of post-employment restraints to the maximum period.