Practical Law Practice Areas

Employment

Employment and workplace relations law in Australia is a myriad of complicated and interrelated federal, state and common laws. Practical Law provides practical know-how to navigate this complex area of law.

Why Practical Law Employment?

Understand the law in practice

Gain clarity on complicated and interrelated federal, state and common laws and let our team of expert employment law writers guide you through the complexities of an employment matter.

Protect your clients or organisation

Don't get caught off guard. Know what workplace relations risks your clients or organisation faces, so that you can put in place best practice policies and procedures.

Upskill your team

Empower your team and delegate with confidence, when you know all juniors are working from resources developed by employment law experts with practice experience.

Keep your finger on the pulse

Stay abreast of the latest employment law developments with regular legal updates and authoritative commentary on the changes that really matter.

Meet our Employment experts

Alex Chernishev

Linda Taylor

Head of Employment

Linda has over 15 years' experience in employment, industrial relations and work health and safety law in both private practice and in-house roles. Prior to joining Practical Law, Linda held senior management positions with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation advising the ABC Board, ABC Directors and line management on a variety of matters including termination of employment, transfer of business, disciplinary and grievance investigations, performance management, HR policy, enterprise bargaining, disputes and employment related litigation, work health and safety, and workers' compensation. Linda holds a Bachelor of Science from the Australian National University and a Masters of Law and Legal Practice from the University of Technology, Sydney. Linda has a particular interest in the management of ill and injured workers and work health and safety.

Philip Gledson

Sophie Bonnette

Senior Lawyer Writer

Sophie joined Practical Law in April 2020 and has over eight years’ experience in employment, work health and safety, and industrial relations law. She has practised at international and nationally-based firms, including Norton Rose Fulbright Australia and Henry Davis York, as well as Legal Counsel – Employment Law within an ASX-listed healthcare company. Sophie has experience across different industries in all aspects of the employment relationship including industrial disputes, redundancy, transfer of business, and disciplinary and grievance processes.

Philip Gledson

Rohan Burn

Lawyer Writer

Rohan joined Practical Law in August 2022. Rohan has practiced exclusively in the areas of employment and industrial law for several years.

Philip Gledson

Kirinya Khamsone

Senior Lawyer Writer

Kirinya joined Practical Law from the Workplace Relations and Safety team at Holding Redlich, Brisbane, where she held the position of Senior Associate. Prior to her role at Holding Redlich, she was employed at Brisbane firm CRH Law working primarily in the area of employment and industrial law. She joins the Practical Law Employment team with over nine years’ experience in practice, during which she acted for employer, employee and union clients. She has broad experience in employment matters, including in the areas of discrimination law, disciplinary matters, contract and Fair Work Act disputes, workplace health and safety and in the conduct of disputes in state and federal tribunals and courts.

Our Employment team has you covered

Pay, benefits and entitlements

  • National Employment Standards
  • Modern awards and enterprise agreements
  • Employee pay and benefits
  • Other worker pay arrangements
  • Transfer of business

Protecting business interests

  • Confidentiality, intellectual property and conflict of interest
  • Restraints of trade

Discrimination at work

  •  Grounds and elements
  • Case management and procedure
  • Remedies

Industrial

  • Enterprise agreement terms and bargaining
  • Industrial action and right of entry

Ending working relationships

  •  Redundancy
  • Termination
  • Settlement and settlement agreements

Managing working relationships and the workplace

  • Managing work and the workplace
  • Managing grievances, conduct and fair treatment
  • Health, safety and incapacity
  • Whistleblowers
  • Privacy and surveillance

Disputes and litigation

  • FWC case management and procedure
  • Civil remedy provisions
  • Minimum entitlement and underpayment claims
  • General protections disputes
  • Enterprise agreement and industrial disputes
  • FWC dismissal disputes
  • Other FWC disputes
  • Other work-related causes of action