BRISBANE EVENT: Employment Relations National Seminar Series | Navigating Employment Contracts – Key Legal Insights for Employers

Tim is recognised as one of Australia’s leading workplace lawyers. He created and led Australia’s top boutique workplace law firm for more than a decade before accepting Piper Alderman’s invitation to join our practice.  Tim has over 25 years’ experience in employment and industrial relations law.

Tim understands the commercial realities of business from the perspective of a business owner and adviser. This background enhances Tim’s provision of strategic advice to clients on employment and workforce matters. He is an experienced advocate and has represented employers in all relevant tribunals and courts.

Tim’s industry knowledge includes working with clients in publishing, agribusiness, health, hospitality, finance, retail, logistics, resources, government, professional services, transport, building & construction, social & community services and pharmaceutical industries. He frequently presents on workplace law topics, is a regular contributor to industry and legal publications and is sought by the media for comment on workplace law issues.

Shane is a Partner at Piper Alderman. He is a nationally recognised leader in employment, industrial relations and workplace health and safety law. He is also skilled in commercial and governance law, and acts as a General Counsel for some clients.

He started his legal career with Freehills, and has subsequently held senior roles with Downer and BHP across coal, base metals, iron ore and petroleum, for operations and expansion projects. He has clients in most industries including mining, mineral exploration, mining services, energy, engineering, construction, power, transport, retail, air and sea ports, government, maritime, education and agriculture.

Shane is a trusted advisor to executives and boards. Shane regularly deals with complex industrial relations strategy and bargaining matters, having led some very substantial industrial reform projects involving the FWC and court litigation. He advises on sensitive departures, settles disputes and conducts investigations.

Shane leads a proactive workplace health and safety law team nationally with a deep capability and experience. His team educates boards and senior officers on strategy, legal compliance, designs and reviews systems, conducts audits and investigations, conducts deep dives and benchmarking processes, critical response processes, education, legal representation and support for employers during serious accidents and in prosecutions. He has also acted for regulators in prosecutions of companies.

Shane is a member of the firm’s Strategic Leadership Group and is a Head of Office. He is a Director of Crime Stoppers. He designed and taught the unit Legal Strategy in Organisations at Murdoch University and is the co-author of a book on the management of FIFO operations in mining.

Andrew is a leading expert in employment law, workplace relations and the general law of contract.

He consults exclusively to Piper Alderman in matters of legal practice while maintaining his position as the John Bray Professor of Law at the University of Adelaide. He has also undertaken consultancy work for Federal and State governments, the International Labour Organization, the Fair Work Ombudsman and other bodies, and was formerly the President of the Australian Labour Law Association.

His work for Piper Alderman clients includes presenting seminars on legal developments, and the preparation of advice on complex issues. He is particularly well known for his expertise and public commentary on the Fair Work legislation.

This expertise is further enhanced with the publication of several books, including being lead author of the popular texts Creighton & Stewart’s Labour Law, Stewart’s Guide to Employment Law and Intellectual Property in Australia. His most recent work, Contract Law: Principles and Context (co-written with Warren Swain and Karen Fairweather), was published by Cambridge University Press in 2019.

He is also the author of Independent Contractors: A Practical Guide, published by CCH in 2013 and Parental Leave: A User-Friendly Guide, published by Thomson Reuters in 2011. Both were co-written with other members of Piper Alderman’s Employment Relations team. Other recent books include Cooperation at Work: How Tribunals Can Help Transform Workplaces (with Mark Bray and Johanna Macneil) and a co-edited collection, The Wages Crisis in Australia.