Best Lawyers in Australia for Labour and Employment Law

Rachel's practice focuses on employment, labour law, and discrimination matters. She works closely with large organisations, in relation to both blue-collar and white-collar workforces, to find solutions that meet their strategic aims whilst minimising their employment law risks. Rachel has also worked closely with large corporate and government business enterprises to: Defend employment litigation in numerous Australian jurisdictions Reduce industrial and legal risks associated with major bu...

John Blackburn SC is a leading workplace relations barrister. John practises almost exclusively in industrial and employment matters. He regularly advises and appears in Federal and State courts and tribunals on matters ranging from large scale industrial disputes to executive employment litigation, adverse action and discrimination claims by individuals. He has appeared in many notable cases, both at first instance and appellate level, including in 2021 in the High Court's landmark CFMMEU v ...

Fay has acted for employers for the last 20 years across a range of industries including professional services, manufacturing, sport, health, aged care, community services and local councils focused always on the purpose and imperatives of the organisations she is servicing. As a specialist on all matters touching the workplace, Fay provides practical advice and guidance on proactive compliance, change management and restructuring, discrimination, bullying, harassment, misconduct investigatio...

Tim is recognised as one of Australia’s leading workplace lawyers. He created and led Australia’s top boutique workplace law firm for more than a decade before accepting Piper Alderman’s invitation to join our practice. Tim has over 25 years’ experience in employment and industrial relations law. Tim understands the commercial realities of business from the perspective of a business owner and adviser. This background enhances Tim’s provision of strategic advice t...

Drawing on more than 20 years’ specialist experience, Andrew helps leading employers manage all aspects of their workforce through strategic advice, training and litigation services, to help meet their corporate goals. An engaging educator, he presents across the country on practical steps to manage occupational / work health and safety (WHS) obligations and on employment, industrial relations, bullying and harassment and discrimination issues and legislative updates. With a wealth of e...

Paul assists clients with their health, safety, and environment legal risks and impacts. This includes working with clients to identify opportunities to proactively manage challenges, as well as being responsive to a crisis and minimising the consequences. Paul is a sought after advisor to a number of the world's largest companies, providing strategic advice to boards that help to shape their safety frameworks or to tactically manage their legal risks. His advice extends to international cros...

Aaron has extensive employment and industrial relations law experience working with clients across a range of industries. Specifically, Aaron specialises in enterprise bargaining, industrial strategies and disputes, disciplinary and performance matters, independent contractor claims, corporate restructuring and outsourcing, managing ill and injured workers, breach of contract claims, and enforcement of restraints of trade. Aaron acts for prominent Australian and international companies. His e...

Employment and industrial relations are complex and continually changing areas of the law which require a high degree of technical knowledge, matched with a commercial, practical, and responsive approach to solving problems. Clients need to balance employment and industrial risks against commercial and market pressures to navigate the best course. Ben assists clients with charting the right course through those matters. Ben has experience working at the industrial relations commission, in the...

Paul is a principal in the firm’s disputes practice. Paul has particular expertise in: all aspects of industrial relations and workplace law, and work health and safety; privacy, data and cyber/information security and response; risk management advice and the investigation and resolution of corporate and commercial issues and disputes; advice and representation of clients in competition and consumer law matters; and insolvency matters. Paul is a key member of the Cyber Alliance Group &n...

Mark’s practice encompasses both litigious and non-litigious applications of employment and industrial relations law. Mark is skilled in dealing with matters involving: industrial disputes and their implications; drafting and advising on enterprise agreements; award interpretation and ramifications; providing advice and acting in litigious matters regarding terminations, employee discipline, unfair dismissals, adverse action claims, common law disputes, equal opportunity, discrimination...

For more than 20 years, Chris has advised some of Australia's leading employers on workplace strategy, complex human resources issues and high-stakes litigation. Chris loves the engagements that really matter for clients, working with business leaders who can best take advantage of his experience. For Chris, workplace law is his expertise, but helping businesses achieve their goals is his passion. His considerable expertise in workplace change has been forged in the toughest of environments, ...

Justine advises clients in relation to employment arrangements and industrial instruments, workplace policies, executive employment issues, termination of employment, enterprise bargaining, industrial action, and workforce restructures. She has particular experience in post-employment restraint matters and has assisted employers to obtain injunctive relief in the Supreme Court of Victoria and the Federal Court of Australia. Justine also has experience acting in employment and industrial litig...

Chris practises in the area of employment, workplace relations, and safety. He has extensive experience in the Victorian and Federal industrial relations and discrimination tribunals. Chris advises and represents employers on issues involving unjust dismissal claims, anti-discrimination claims, enterprise bargaining, industrial disputes, employment disputes and drafting of employment contracts. Chris also advises and defends corporate clients in respect of investigations and prosecutions by g...

An experienced litigator representing employers when litigation is unavoidable or advantageous, Erin has the game plan needed to protect or attack. She has worked in both private practice and in-house roles and uses her experience of being a client to deliver the best legal strategy through a lens of practicality. She enjoys using the opportunities presented by employment and industrial problems to deliver outcomes for her clients. Erin has extensive experience managing employment investigati...

Since coming to the Bar Eliza has practiced in general commercial law, including employment and industrial disputes in both State and Federal jurisdictions, taxation proceedings in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, and in administrative and other public law matters. Eliza also acts regularly for both the Victorian WorkCover Authority and corporate defendants in occupational, health and safety prosecutions, and has appeared in pleas, committals and trials. Click here to view Eli...

Tim is an employment relations lawyer with over 19 years’ specialist employment relations experience at top-tier and mid-tier firms. Tim’s work focuses on achievement of commercial results with minimum disruption to the workplace through a combination of expert knowledge and a practical approach. He provides representation and advice on contentious and non-contentious matters. Tim’s expertise encompasses a wide range of employment and industrial relations matters including t...

Karl has over 20 years' experience practising as both a barrister and a solicitor advising on a broad range of workplace legal issues. His practice specifically focuses on industrial relations, employment law, Work Health and Safety law, and workers' compensation. Karl has advised the Commonwealth Government statutory agency, Safe Work Australia, on a range of issues involving Work Health and Safety laws and has an interest in the governance of safety (due diligence), regulatory compliance, a...

Ben is a partner in Holding Redlich's Workplace Relations & Safety Group. He provides straightforward and practical guidance and direction to businesses in relation to all aspects of labour and employment law, helping them to understand the issues they face and deliver their desired commercial outcomes. In particular, Ben specialises in workplace strategy, including change management, restructuring, enterprise bargaining and responding to industrial action, defending against employee and ...

Erin has over fifteen years’ experience in providing advice to employers and employer associations on all aspects of occupational health and safety, employment and industrial relations law as well as delivering essential information seminars and training workshops on key employment issues. Erin has extensive experience providing advice in relation to performance management, misconduct investigations and unfair dismissal claims, bullying, discrimination and harassment matters and occupat...

Joe is an employment relations lawyer with over 20 years’ experience specialising in workplace relations at mid-tier and employer associations. Joe’s experience extends to providing advice and representation in matters across Australian tribunals and courts, including the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Courts of Australia. Joe has also represented clients in various inquests and commissions of inquiry, including in the Independent Commission Against Corruption and various St...

Widely regarded by clients and peers as a leading practitioner in his field, Darren acts in all areas of employment and industrial relations law. Darren is prominent in advising major employers on collective bargaining strategies, responses to industrial action, and major workplace change projects including automation. Darren has expertise in executive contracts and remuneration and handling disputes relating to the termination of executive employees.

Charles draws on over 25 years of skills, expertise and experience in workplace relations and safety law. In addition to legal practice, Charles has served as an associate to a senior deputy president of the Australian Industrial Relations Commission. In 1995 and 1996 Charles served as a Canberra-based adviser to a federal government minister. Charles gives legal advice and representation to organisations and individuals in all areas of the discipline, including: minimising legal risks associ...

Jacquie has practised employment law, discrimination law and education law since 1990. Her sports law practice has grown naturally from these other areas since 2006. She has guided clients through four major reforms to the federal industrial relations system. An experienced litigator in employment and industrial relations, Jacquie has specialist expertise in discrimination, unfair dismissal, breach of contract claims, industrial disputes, and prosecutions for breach of awards, industrial laws...

David is a consultant in Holding Redlich's Workplace Relations for Employees Group. His areas of practice include: representing employees in complex employment disputes involving the termination of employment, discrimination claims, bullying claims and restraint of trade claims representing employees, councillors and statutory office holders involved in investigations by the Ombudsman, IBAC, Royal Commissions and professional disciplinary bodies acting for unions in relation to workplace issu...

Focusing on workplace relations strategy, Henry’s practice contemplates all aspects of workplace change and execution, including enterprise bargaining, collective labour disputes and litigation, individual employment arrangements and litigation, and construction and infrastructure management. He has acted for major employers in many of the largest and most complex matters in this field, in federal and state jurisdictions. His clients come from a range of industries, including mining and...

Penny draws on more than 20 years of experience in workplace health and safety law to help her clients manage the legal risks to their business. In difficult circumstances, Penny can be relied on to provide strategic insights and make a judgement call. She has extensive experience defending prosecutions across a broad range of industries as well as advising and representing clients on questions of law in the Victorian Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and High Court of Australia. She is a strate...

Michael represents Australia’s leading employers. He advises on all aspects of employment, industrial and discrimination law. With particular experience advising and appearing for clients in complex employment and industrial relations litigation. What makes Michael more than a stand-out strategic litigator sought after by leading multi-nationals, is an Executive MBA from INSEAD University and experience in running successful businesses, which ensures that he intuitively understands comm...

Andrew is a Partner and the head of HopgoodGanim Lawyers’ Workplace and Employment practice. Andrew advises clients on all aspects of workplace law, equal opportunity and discrimination law, safety and privacy. From front-end bargaining and agreement composition to dispute management, Andrew has extensive experience advising across a broad range of sectors including resources and energy, manufacturing, health and hospitality. He is particularly skilled in providing strategic employment ...

Evan is an Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations. With extensive experience in employment and industrial relations law, Evan advises and represents a broad range of clients with a particular emphasis on assisting executive employees and registered organisations. Evan works closely with his clients to identify their goals and uses his experience to find the most efficient path to achieve those goals. Evan’s areas of expertise include: drafting, advising on and enforcing employment...