Partnering with clients to provide on-demand contract lawyers, giving in-house legal teams the confidence to be agile.
Topical and interactive workshops available as a learning module for all Australian businesses.
Industry surveys describe our employment team as having ‘an impressive depth of talent’, providing ‘timely, practical, pragmatic and principled advice’ where ‘turn around time and advice is the best – value for money guaranteed’. MinterEllison is consistently recognised as having one of the leading employment law practices in Australia, with one of the largest teams – 18 partners and more than 80 lawyers practising in Australia (with an affiliate relationship in Tasmania).
Uniquely for an Australian firm, our employment team is trans-Tasman, pan-Asian and international, with specialist employment lawyers based in our offices in Greater China (Hong Kong and Shanghai), New Zealand (Auckland and Wellington) and the United Kingdom (London). Our international capabilities, with proven experience assisting HR and legal departments working within a global framework, mean we are often the ‘first choice’ for many multinationals.
We advise on employment, industrial relations, human resources, executive remuneration, discrimination, and occupational health and safety law.
We have a reputation for providing sound, strategic advice and applying technical skills to the 'real world' of the workplace. We pride ourselves on getting to know your business – which allows us to understand and provide advice that is useful, commercial and easily implemented.
The issues our clients face give us frequent and indepth exposure to the Fair Work Act and the practical issues it poses for employers. We regard ourselves as thought leaders on the legal and practical implications of the Fair Work Act – for example, the impact of the new enterprise bargaining regime.
The quality of our people and the standard of work we deliver is best demonstrated by the genuine longstanding relationships we have with numerous clients, including Australia Post, Macquarie Group, News Limited, Qantas, SingTel Optus, TRUenergy and Xstrata.
Acted for Outsourcing Inc, a Japanese listed entity, on the acquisition of a majority stake (80%) in the Beddison Group, one of Australia's largest privately owned workforce and labour hire specialists in Australia.
Advised Panasonic Corporation from an Australian and New Zealand perspective on its acquisition of Hussmann Corporation, a Missouri-based manufacturer of refrigerated display cases and systems for US$1.545 billion.
Acted together with Allen & Overy as joint legal advisers to the Lloyds Banking Group on the sale of its Australian asset finance business, Capital Finance Australia Ltd (CFAL), and its corporate loan portfolio, BOS International Australia Ltd (BOSI) to Westpac Banking Corporation for approximately A$1.55 billion in total.
Advised the New South Wales Government (NSW Treasury) on the refinancing of Port Botany and Port Kembla in NSW. The project was unique, involving the contemporaneous refinancing and long term lease of two major Australian ports. Our role included extensive legal analysis of the existing assets and businesses and the regulatory landscape; recommending a transaction structure; drafting special transaction legislation; asset restructuring; preparing extensive interrelated transaction documents; tender process and negotiations; and implementation under legal project management. The project was complex and very significant for NSW, with the transaction widely considered to establish a new benchmark in transaction preparation and execution.
Acting for a wholly owned subsidiary of Frasers Property Australia (formerly Australand Holdings Ltd) on the A$800 million Discovery Point development at Wolli Creek in New South Wales. This 8-hectare mixed use development will feature residential apartments, commercial offices, an integrated retail centre and extensive public and private parklands. We are advising on procurement and OH&S strategies, drafting pro-forma and project specific documentation (such as consultancy agreements and design and construct contracts), assisting in the preparation of the tender conditions, advising on the tendering process and compiling documentation for tender.
Advised NSW Government in relation to a major restructure of the State's non-metropolitan rail system which included an investment of A$800 million+ in rail infrastructure by the Commonwealth Government. The arrangements effectively incorporated 3000kms of NSW interstate and Hunter Valley mainline railway track under the same operation and management as the interstate standard gauge mainline railway track. We also subsequently advised on commercial arrangements in relation to the take up by ARTC of the Metropolitan Freight Network and the Southern Sydney Freight Line.
Acting for the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in one of the most significant employment law cases in the last hundred years.
Advised Xstrata in its copper/zinc business in Queensland for almost 20 years, assisting with industrial strategy, union demarcation issues, industrial action, enterprise bargaining, OH&S and employee claims. We recently assisted Xstrata to successfully renegotiate all of its enterprise bargaining agreements, and we are also acting in a number of different types of workplace claims.
Advised News Limited Group for more than 20 years on all aspects of employment and industrial law in the context of its complex industrial challenges and its global structures. Our longstanding relationship with this client and our national coverage enable us to advise on issues that impact its business and operations anywhere in Australia. Recently we assisted News Limited with its successful enterprise agreement negotiations for all of its print sites around Australia without disruption to the production or distribution of its publications.
Advisers to SingTel Optus since its inception and our work includes legal advice on large scale restructures and outsourcings, unfair dismissal, unfair contract claims and discrimination complaints, large scale strategic industrial litigation and day-to-day advice on all aspects of employment law. We advised them on their recent enterprise bargaining agreement, one of the first and most high profile under the new regime.
Advisers to Macquarie Group for more than 10 years on all aspects of employment law. The nature of the Macquarie Group’s business means that the work we undertake is highly complex, innovative, commercial and globally focussed. Some recent work includes: acting in proceedings against former employees in respect of post-employment obligations, developing and delivering compliance training programs and advising on best practice OH&S systems and framework.
Key employment and IR adviser to Australia Post for nearly 20 years. Recently, we acted in a range of matters from OH&S disputes to big picture issues such as the industrial implications of restructuring mail delivery to meet demands imposed by the population growth and changes in infrastructure. We advised on its most sensitive disputes, its collective agreement negotiations and running unfair dismissal cases at first instance and on appeal, discrimination proceedings and right of entry disputes
Acting for Peabody Energy Group, providing employment and industrial relations advice and representation to its Australian coal operations in all areas of employment law and industrial relations. We recently provided industrial and OHS strategy and acted in a number of employee claims and industrial disputes.
Advised Rio Tinto on its successful on-market bid for Riversdale Mining, and we are now providing advice in relation to aspects of the post-takeover integration and future workforce planning.
