Dan Williams |Partner

Dan has particular expertise in managing complex industrial relations and employment impacts involved in large corporate transactions. They include transmission of business issues, transfer of employees, relocations and redeployment, superannuation arrangements, and the movement of employees from state to federal jurisdiction. Dan has advised on major transactions for such clients as Anglo Coal, APN Newspapers, Boeing, Bond University, Incitec, Mincom, News Limited, Peabody Energy, Rio Tinto, and Queensland Treasury.

Dan deals widely in employment, industrial and discrimination matters across the education sector. His leading clients include Bond University, Griffith University, QUT, University of the Sunshine Coast and University of Queensland as well as the Anglican Schools Commission, the Brisbane Catholic Education Commission and the Queensland Catholic Education Commission.

Dan has increasing involvement 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 diverse human resources and industrial relations issues. His leading client list includes Anglo Coal, Arrow Energy, Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal, Peabody Energy, SunMetals Corporation, and Xstrata.

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 diverse industrial relations, employment, discrimination, and safety matters. His clients include ENERGEX, Ergon Energy, Gladstone Area Water Board, Queensland Health, SunWater, and Tarong Energy.

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

Dan has a formidable reputation for his strategic industrial relations expertise across both unionised and non-unionised workforces under various legislative environments. 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 diverse industrial proceedings including management of strikes, unfair dismissals, discrimination matters and contested union coverage.

Dan has an extensive strategic, litigious and general advisory background across the wider infrastructure sector. He provides comprehensive employment, industrial relations and OH&S advice and representation to such companies as Abigroup, Aker Kvaerner, ATCO Constructions, Baulderstone Hornibrook, John Holland, Maunsell McMahon, and Thiess.

Dan has many years’ experience in occupational health and safety matters, from front-end compliance advice and accident management to prosecutions and coronial inquiries. His clients include Boeing, Campbell Brothers, the Coles Group, Consolidated Meat Group, Ergon Energy, Grainco, Pepsico, REJV, and Xstrata.

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’s clients in this area include APN Newspapers, Boeing, Campbell Brothers, and Xstrata.

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