Advocacy and dispute resolution
Employment Disputes & Representation
Experienced, commercially focused representation for employers in workplace disputes, hearings and employment litigation.
How we can assist
Employment disputes can become costly and disruptive when they are not managed strategically. We assist employers at the earliest sign of a threatened claim and through Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) adjudication, Labour Court appeals and negotiated resolution.
Advocacy is a defining part of our employment practice. We ordinarily prepare, manage and present cases in-house, rather than routinely referring advocacy to external counsel. This gives clients a consistent relationship from the first assessment of merits to the hearing itself.
With more than 500 recorded decisions in the firm’s name since 2006, our approach combines experience of contested hearings with a realistic appraisal of settlement, evidence, cost and reputational considerations.
Our work includes
- WRC claims and hearings. Advice and representation before the Workplace Relations Commission, including the preparation and presentation of an employer’s case.
- Labour Court proceedings. Employment law appeals, industrial relations matters and written and oral advocacy.
- Unfair dismissal. Defending dismissal claims, examining the underlying employer process, and preparing evidence and witnesses.
- Equality and discrimination. Claims involving protected grounds, harassment, victimisation, reasonable accommodation and employment equality.
- Penalisation and statutory complaints. Matters involving protected disclosures, working time, payment of wages, leave and other employment rights.
- Case strategy. Early merits and risk assessment, defence planning, procedural objections and identification of the evidence required.
- Written submissions and witness preparation. Drafting legal submissions and chronologies, organising exhibits and preparing witnesses for questioning.
- Hearing advocacy. Direct solicitor-led conduct of hearings and cross-examination where appropriate.
- Settlement and resolution. Negotiated settlements, mediation discussions and advice on whether to defend, resolve or appeal a claim.
Practical support, from start to finish
The person preparing the submission should understand how the case will be presented. Keeping case preparation and advocacy connected can make the process more coherent, while reducing the need to brief an entirely separate advocacy team.
Knowledge and Insights
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Speak to our employment team