Dan Williams

|Partner

Dan has an extensive strategic, litigious and general advisory background across the construction and infrastructure sectors. He provides comprehensive employment, industrial relations and OH&S advice and representation to companies including Lend Lease, Brookfield Multiplex, Laing O'Rourke, ATCO Constructions, John Holland and Thiess.

Dan has particular expertise in managing complex industrial relations and the employment impacts involved in large corporate transactions. They include transfer of business issues, relocations and redeployment, superannuation arrangements, and the movement of employees between the state and federal jurisdictions. Dan has advised on major transactions for such clients as Boeing, Bond University, News Limited, Peabody Energy, Rio Tinto, the Queensland Public Service Commission and Queensland Treasury.

Dan has a special interest in the education sector, and is identified as one of the leading education employment specialists in Australia. His leading clients include the University of Queensland, QUT, Griffith University, Bond University, University of the Sunshine Coast, James Cook University and TAFE Queensland, as well as the Brisbane Catholic Education Commission and the Queensland Catholic Education Commission.

Dan is expert in intellectual property protection and the enforcement of restraints of trade against departing employees. This has included several successful applications for Anton Pillar orders (civil search warrants) as well as urgent interlocutory injunctions restraining post-employment breaches. 

Dan works alongside many Queensland-based energy and resources companies on their human resources and industrial relations issues. His leading client list includes Rio Tinto, Peabody Energy, Arrow Energy, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal and Glencore.

Dan advises clients across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria on equal opportunity and discrimination laws. His work has involved legislative compliance and training, responding to complaints and managing litigation, and also gaining exemptions from the operation of anti-discrimination laws.

Dan has extensive experience in executive employment issues for both listed and unlisted companies. His expertise spans executive remuneration and long and short-term incentive plans, share option schemes, 'change of control' arrangements and restrictions in the Corporations Act and the ASX listing rules, termination benefits, and restraint of trade matters.

Dan has a long background as an advisor to government owned corporations in Queensland in industrial relations, employment, discrimination and safety matters. His clients include Stanwell, Queensland Rail, Ergon Energy, Gladstone Area Water Board, Queensland Health and SunWater.

Dan has acted for and advised Queensland Health, Uniting HealthCare, and other industry participants in matters including unfair dismissal, discrimination claims, investigations as well as general employment advice.

Dan has a formidable reputation for his strategic industrial relations expertise across both unionised and non-unionised workforces. He has a strong track record for his handling of lawful and unlawful industrial action, union demarcation and coverage issues, general industrial strategy, all stages of enterprise bargaining, and the resolution of difficult and sensitive disputes. Dan is also noted for his advocacy in industrial proceedings including management of strikes, unfair dismissals, discrimination matters and contested union coverage matters.

Dan has specialist expertise in public and private sector superannuation arrangements. This includes the application of the Superannuation Guarantee legislation, dispute resolution in the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal and the Federal Court, and the management of superannuation issues following corporate restructuring.

Dan is a long-standing workplace law advisor to prominent media companies. Notably, he has advised APN Newspapers and News Limited on employment, industrial relations, enterprise bargaining, disputes, discrimination, and occupational health and safety matters.