Stephen leads our workplace relations and safety team and is a highly regarded expert in all areas of workplace relations and employment law.
Stephen's expertise covers all aspects of workplace relations and employment law, including occupational health and safety and equal employment opportunity. He is noted by Doyle's Guide 2010 for his "understanding of the practical effects of the law" and is ranked by them as one of the Top 20 employment lawyers in Australia.
Stephen acts for a range of major institutions and large government agencies. He has particular specialist expertise in the retail and government sectors, as well as in managing insolvency related employment issues.
Stephen regularly appears before Fair Work Australia, and has acted in a number of major test cases on the new Fair Work Act. He recently appeared in an important Full Bench case dealing with dispute settlement provisions in enterprise agreements.
Stephen has extensive expertise in negotiating, drafting and interpreting industrial agreements, dealing with unions and resolving industrial disputes. He was heavily involved in negotiating the largest enterprise agreement in Australia (which covers over 96,000 employees). His focus is on finding practical commercial solutions aligned to long-term workplace relations and employment strategies.
Stephen has a track record of managing employment and workplace relations issues associated with major corporate restructures, as well as the acquisition of new businesses. He advises on preparing and negotiating executive contracts, and dealing with executive termination matters. He has dealt with employment contracts relating to CEOs and MDs in the retail, property, finance, IT and business services industries.
Stephen is recognised as a Leading Lawyer in Employment law in Chambers Asia Pacific 2012, Chambers Global 2011 and in Doyle's Guide to The Australian Legal Profession.