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Patrick Walsh

Partner

Adelaide

Patrick has extensive experience in assisting businesses and not for profit organisations navigate complex employment matters and his expertise in workers compensation, work health and safety, and employment law means that he can provide comprehensive and strategic workplace relations advice.

Patrick works closely with his clients to assist them meet their workplace obligations and manage their legal and reputational risks across all areas of employment and safety and is well known for his personable and dynamic practice.

Patrick has extensive experience in assisting government, businesses, and not for profit organisations navigate complex employment matters and his expertise in work health and safety, employment law, and workers compensation means that he can provide comprehensive and strategic workplace relations advice.

Patrick has a particular focus on assisting larger and self-insured employers in managing their workplace obligations.

Patrick also brings expertise as Counsel and regularly advises and represents clients in the South Australia Employment Tribunal and Fair Work Commission.

  • +61 467 587 087
  • +61 8 8330 2908

Memberships, Accreditation and Activities

  • Bachelor of Science (Jurisprudence)
  • Bachelor of Laws
  • Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice
  • Doyle’s Guide – Leadings Workers Compensation Lawyers (Defendant) – South Australia, since 2018
  • Doyle’s Guide – Leading Employment Lawyers (Employer Representation) – South Australia, since 2026
  • Best Lawyers – Occupational Health & Safety (2020).

Expertise

Patrick’s expertise includes:

  • Work health & safety
    • Assisting PCBU’s to understand and meet their work health and safety obligations
    • Responding to serious workplace incidents, regulator investigations and prosecutions, including fostering constructive relationships with regulators
    • Product safety training
  • Employment law
    • Assisting with complex and sensitive workplace investigations
    • Assisting and representing employers with respect to unfair dismissal and general protections matters
    • Providing advice and working with mergers and acquisitions with respect to workplace relations issues arising from commercial transactions
  • Workers’ compensation and self-insurance
    • Advising and representing self-insured and registered employers in respect of matters arising under the Return to Work Act
    • Assisting employers to prepare and transition to self-insurance

Recent Matters

  • Assisting a PCBU in meeting its obligations in response to an attempt at suicide by a worker
  • Provided advice and representation to a professional services provider in respect of action taken by a previous employer to enforce restraint of trade provisions
  • Conduct of a matter on behalf of an organisation that had terminated the employment of a senior executive in circumstances which involved a serious criminal investigation
  • Conduct of a matter that resulted in a decision from the Supreme Court of South Australia – Court of Appeal that resulted in significant changes to the law of mutuality in South Australia
  • Conduct of a matter on behalf of the Department for Child Protection that resulted in a decision from the Court of Appeal that has led to significant changes in respect of the law of mutuality in workers compensation in South Australia
  • Appeared as junior counsel before the Court of Appeal representing the Department for Education in a matter concerning statutory interpretation of the Return to Work Act 2014(SA)
  • Acted as Counsel for one of the parties in respect of an inquest into the death of a worker in a remote location
  • Assisted a client in the viticulture industry who underwent an audit imposed by a third party because of the third parties’ obligations to report to the Federal Government under the modern slavery laws
  • Conduct of a matter with respect to the prosecution arising from the death of an apprentice worker
  • Assisting in the provision of a series of full day training seminars with respect to product safety to a well-known defence contractor.

Memberships, Accreditation & Activities

  • Bachelor of Science (Jurisprudence)
  • Bachelor of Laws
  • Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice
  • Doyle’s Guide – Leadings Workers Compensation Lawyers (Defendant) – South Australia, since 2018
  • Doyle’s Guide – Leading Employment Lawyers (Employer Representation) – South Australia, since 2026
  • Best Lawyers – Occupational Health & Safety (2020).