About

Provided by Ashurst

Department: Employment

Partners in this department: 12

No of employees in department: 68

Ashurst's Employment practice has been a leader in the Australian market for over 20 years.

Led by Stephen Woodbury, the practice includes the highly respected Ian Humphreys and Jennie Mansfield and enjoys a depth of experience through its Senior Statesmen Adrian Morris, Helen McKenzie, Richard Bunting and Rob Lilburne. Other key members include Jane Harvey, Jon Lovell and James Hall.

We assist clients in all aspects of workplace relations; employment, executive remuneration and benefits, industrial relations, workplace safety, discrimination and workplace training, including:

  • Wage underpayment compliance: Advising large companies (including Woolworths and Qantas) about rectification programs to identify and rectify past underpayments, negotiate enforceable undertakings with the Fair Work Ombudsman, and embed compliance for the future.   
  • Industrial relations, enterprise bargaining and class actions:  Advising leading employers including Airservices and Workpac to unlock productivity through enterprise bargaining, and dealing with industrial action, union strategies and class actions.  
  • Work Health and Safety:  Advising many public and private sector employers on safety incidents, coronial inquiries and fatalities and addressing their Boards about WHS duties. 
  • Workplace investigations: Advising on and conducting investigations for clients including AGL and Qantas.

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Employment: Queensland - Australia

1
Band 1

What the Team is Known For

Ashurst has a well-resourced employment group with an impressive reputation for large-scale industrial relations disputes and major company restructurings. The team is called upon by many of Australia's largest energy and transport companies for its expertise in developing enterprise bargaining agreements. It is well placed to represent clients in employee class actions and in disputes with unions. The firm acts for major clients on the employment aspects of M&A and compliance, and advises employers on health and safety issues.

Work Highlights

  • Ashurst acted for Uber in Federal Court proceedings concerning the status of drivers using the Uber Rides platform and whether they are employees or independent contractors.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

Lea Constantine
E
Lea Constantine
E
Eminent Practitioners
Lea Constantine is well known in the work health and safety space and acts for a range of public and private sector clients on compliance, investigations and prosecutions relating to serious workplace incidents.
Scarlet Reid
2
Scarlet Reid
2
Band 2
Scarlet Reid is well regarded in the market for her depth of knowledge in workplace health and safety. She often advises government clients on complex regulatory topics as well as on high-profile and fatal workplace incidents.

Scarlet is a very good and credible partner.

Stephen Woodbury
2
Stephen Woodbury
2
Band 2
Stephen Woodbury acts for prominent international and domestic companies on industrial relations strategies and enterprise bargaining.

Stephen Woodbury is an excellent operator.

Stephen Woodbury knows our organisation well and understands the culture and policies. When it comes to employment law we have always felt in safe hands with him.

Jennie Mansfield
3
Jennie Mansfield
3
Band 3
Jennie Mansfield advises on a range of compliance matters, including award compliance and repayment programmes, with a particular focus on the financial and insurance sectors.

Jennie is a highly experienced lawyer. She is commercial, responsive, understands our needs and is great to work with.

Jon Lovell
3
Jon Lovell
3
Band 3

Jon Lovell is a Melbourne-based employment partner. He advises a string of notable clients on matters including enterprise bargaining, industrial relations and employment disputes.

Jon Lovell is technically excellent and super practical.

Jon Lovell is an excellent lawyer and a go-to trusted adviser.

Ranked Lawyers at
Ashurst

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

Australia

Employment: New South Wales

Stephen Woodbury
2
Stephen Woodbury
2
Band 2
Jennie Mansfield
3
Jennie Mansfield
3
Band 3
Employment: Victoria

Jon Lovell
3
Jon Lovell
3
Band 3
Health & Safety

Lea Constantine
E
Lea Constantine
E
Eminent Practitioners
Scarlet Reid
2
Scarlet Reid
2
Band 2

Members

Provided by Ashurst

Elissa Speight

James Hall

Jane Harvey

Jon Lovell

Julia Sutherland

Kathy Srdanovic

Paul Vane-Tempest

Stephen Woodbury

Stephen Woodbury

Head of Department

Trent Sebbens