Practices
Employment & Workplace Relations Alex is an experienced employment lawyer, advising private and public sector clients across the full range of employment and industrial relations matters. She has experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters.
Alex also advises private and public sector organisations on managing their obligations with respect to privacy and the notifiable data breach scheme.
Alex advises clients across a wide range of industries, including transport, hospitality, finance, health and aged care.
Alex is known for her pragmatic, commercial and strategic approach.
Experience
- Advised NewCold on its acquisition of the Karras Group.
- Advised myprosperity on its $40m sale to HUB24 (ASX: HUB), a listed wealth industry provider and supplier of the HUB24 platform.
- Advised the owners of psychological and behavioural health services provider Caraniche on its sale to WISE Employment Ltd.
- Advising a Melbourne based hotel group in relation to their employment and workplace relations obligations across multiple sites, including advising in relation to the termination of expired enterprise agreements (including zombie agreements), advising on various modern award interpretation issues and providing advice in relation to modern award compliance.
- Assisted a Victorian based transportation company to make an application for urgent injunctive relief in the Federal Court of Australia after its employee union members and union officials engaged in obstructive picketing.
- Assisted an overseas headquartered client with an established Australian consultancy operation in relation to the strategic acquisition of a specialist consultancy with complex industrial and employment arrangements, which included undertaking extensive employment related due diligence, assessing and advising on the risk of any underpayments or other non-compliance with the target’s industrial instruments, applicable modern awards or the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), and identifying and managing any other risks associated with the target’s employment and industrial arrangements.
- Assisted a global fintech company with an investigation into a complaint made by Australian based employees in relation to the conduct of an overseas based manager. The investigation was conducted under client legal privilege, and included witness interviews with individuals based in Australia and overseas and provision of a privileged investigation report.
- Advising on the employment aspects of commerial transactions, including conducting due diligence, advising on the transfer of business rules under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), and assisting clients to manage complex industrial issues and potential risks associated with their transaction, including potential underpayments or other non compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth).
- Advising on executive terminations and negotiated exits, as well as employees’ post-employment obligations, including restraint of trade and confidentiality obligations.
- Advising on restructuring and redundancies, managing poor performance and misconduct and termination of employment for poor performance and misconduct.
- Advising employers on their obligations with respect to managing ill and injured workers, including their occupational health and safety obligations and their obligations arising under State and Federal anti discrimination legislation.
- Advising on the engagement of independent contractors, including drafting independent contractor agreements and providing advice as to the risks of sham contracting.
- Advising on compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), enterprise agreements and modern awards, including in relation to potential underpayments and wage theft offences.
- Appearing for employers in conciliations of unfair dismissal claims and general protections claims in the Fair Work Commission.
- Advising employers in relation to claims in the Federal Court of Australia and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, including claims for breaches of the general protections provisions and
- Drafting and advising on contracts of employment and workplace policies and procedures.
Professional Membership
- Law Institute Victoria
Latest thinking
Cyber | 24 Oct 2022
Big penalties for Australian privacy breaches
The Australian Government has moved swiftly to significantly increase the financial penalties that companies face if they fail to protect the personal information of their customers.