Michael draws on a wealth of industrial and employment law experience, together with his corporate background, to provide strategic and pragmatic advice to his clients focussed on delivering strong commercial outcomes to facilitate highly productive workplaces for them.
Michael enjoys living the relationship with his clients, who rely on him for everything from advising on the day-to-day employment and industrial relations issues that they face as employers through to representing them in complex and challenging cases.
“Michael has an excellent strategic mindset when managing cases. Great focus on the longer game and sticking to the case narrative. Within that is excellent judgement on the tactical components of running cases.“
– Legal 500 Asia Pacific, 2021
Michael acts for employers from large global corporations through to SMEs in a diverse range of industries including transport and logistics, maritime services, IT services, consulting/recruitment, professional services, insurance and financial services, retail and supply, building and construction, resources, manufacturing and education. He practices in all aspects of employment and industrial law including:
- strategic industrial relations, including enterprise bargaining, approvals and disputes
- complex employee relations and employment advice
- dispute resolution and acting for employers in adverse action, unfair dismissal and discrimination claims
- corporate performance, including organisational change management/restructuring and M&A/transactional employment issues
- terminations, including the planning of termination of employment strategies
- performance management strategies and workplace investigations
- contractual disputes and breaches of restraints, confidentiality & IP obligations
- Fair Work Act 2009 and Award/Agreement compliance, interpretation, and enforcement
- employee entitlements and navigating FWO and regulator investigations; and
- employee incentives.
Michael regularly appears in the Fair Work Commission, in State and Federal courts, VCAT and in other jurisdictions. He is a member of the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria, and regularly publishes articles and delivers seminars and webinars on topical industrial relations issues.
