Areas of expertise.
A practice concentrated on the workplace: WorkCover, occupational health and safety, employment law and industrial relations, resolved together rather than in isolation.
WorkCover & workers compensation
Workers compensation is one of the most active and closely contested areas of workplace law. Philip advises on WorkCover matters from the questions that arise early in a claim through to the complex, disputed cases that end up before a court.
- Disputed and contested workers compensation claims
- Liability, entitlement and quantum questions
- The interaction between compensation and an employer's wider obligations
Occupational health & safety
Safety is a demanding, closely regulated area where the consequences of getting it wrong are serious. Philip helps employers understand their obligations, respond well when something goes wrong, and defend their position when it is challenged.
- OH&S duties, compliance and risk
- Incident response and regulator engagement
- Safety prosecutions and contested proceedings
Employment law
General employment law covers the whole working relationship, from the terms that begin it to the disputes that can end it. Philip advises on the issues employers face day to day and on the difficult ones that call for careful handling.
- Contracts, policies, conduct and performance
- Terminations and workplace disputes
- Complex, sensitive matters requiring senior judgement
Industrial relations & the whole picture
The areas above rarely stand alone. Industrial relations questions run through them all, and Philip's real value is drawing everything together into a single, coherent set of recommendations an organisation can act on.
- Industrial relations issues connected to safety, conduct or compensation
- Integrated strategy across employment, IR, OH&S and workers compensation
- Trial experience in the County and Supreme Courts of Victoria
A straightforward way of working.
Whether the brief comes from a law firm or an employer, the shape of the work is the same.
Understand the matter
A direct conversation about the situation, what is at stake, and where the real difficulty lies.
Assess it as a whole
An integrated view across employment, industrial relations, OH&S and workers compensation, so nothing is missed.
Recommend and act
Clear recommendations you can act on, with senior support through to resolution or hearing where needed.
About the work.
Almost always. A safety incident can become an employment issue, and a compensation claim can raise industrial relations questions. Philip's real value is drawing them together into one coherent set of recommendations.
Yes. Workers compensation sits at the heart of the WorkCover practice, from early questions on a claim through to complex, disputed matters.
Yes. Occupational health and safety work includes incident response, regulator engagement and contested safety prosecutions.
Both. Philip consults to law firms on their advanced matters and advises employers directly where a workplace issue calls for senior, integrated experience.
Have a workplace matter in mind?
Tell Philip what you are dealing with. He will tell you honestly whether his experience is the right fit.