Employment & Industrial Law

We’re committed to protecting your rights at work and securing fair outcomes in all disputes.

Workplace issues can extend beyond immediate job-related concerns, affecting personal confidence, financial stability, and overall security. Whether you are facing a potential dismissal, an internal investigation, or a complex employment decision, these situations require informed legal guidance to ensure your rights and obligations are fully understood.

Consistently recognised as one of Australia’s leading employment law firms by Doyle’s Guide, Hall Payne Lawyers reflect decades of trusted advocacy and strong results.

We provide clear, practical advice designed to protect your interests and equip you to make confident decisions about your future.

Unfair Dismissal

Hall Payne Lawyers challenge unjust terminations, meeting strict deadlines with expert representation.

Workplace Discrimination

We defend employees against bias, pursuing fair resolutions under workplace & anti-discrimination laws.

Professional Conduct & Discipline

Misconduct claims risk careers—our solicitors defend professionals in investigations and disciplinary proceedings.

Enterprise Bargaining & Award Rights

Hall Payne Lawyers guide agreements, awards & breaches, protecting entitlements, ensuring compliance & resolving disputes.

General Protection Claims

Employees are protected from adverse action over rights, union activity, complaints or family responsibilities.

Contract Negotiations & Disputes

Employment contracts set key terms. Our solicitors review & negotiate pay, bonuses & equity to protect your interests.

Industrial Relations

Hall Payne Lawyers champions workers & unions, from Fair Work disputes to High Court cases, protecting rights & fairness.

Executive & Senior Management Terminations

Senior executives face fewer protections. We manage exits, tackling wrongful termination, bonus disputes & entitlements.

Restraint of Trade

Restraint clauses must be reasonable. Our team defends against restrictions that unfairly limit earning capacity.

Redundancy

Redundancy must be genuine. We secure full pay & entitlements and challenge cases used to mask unfair dismissal.

Workplace Mediation Services

Accredited mediators provide impartial, legally informed conflict resolution, helping parties reach durable, cost‑saving agreements.

What to Expect

Working with Our Employment Lawyers

Facing a workplace challenge is stressful, but the moment you step through our doors or join us on a call, that weight starts to lift. Hall Payne Lawyers provides a welcoming space where you can share your story without judgment.

Our ultimate goal is to transform your worry into a positive, clear-headed strategy. You’ll leave our first meeting not just with legal advice, but with a dedicated team in your corner and the renewed confidence to focus on your future.

End-to-End Representation

Our Employment Law Services

Hall Payne Lawyers provides specialist advice and representation across the full spectrum of employment law, supporting employees, professionals, and executives through disputes, investigations, negotiations, and complex regulatory matters.

Unfair Dismissal Claims

If a termination is unjust or unreasonable, it may constitute unfair dismissal. Hall Payne Lawyers helps clients meet strict lodgement timeframes, providing expert representation to challenge terminations where no valid reason was provided or procedural fairness was ignored.

Workplace Discrimination

Discrimination based on race, gender, age, disability, or religion is a breach of the Fair Work Act and anti-discrimination legislation. Our solicitors advocate for employees to ensure they can work free from bias, pursuing the best jurisdictional path for a successful resolution.

Workplace Bullying

Workplace bullying involves repeated, unreasonable behaviour that creates a risk to health and safety. We provide strategic advice on "Stop Bullying" orders through the Fair Work Commission and help clients address the psychological and professional impact of intimidating or humiliating conduct.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is prohibited by federal and state laws. Our lawyers are trained to offer compassionate, trauma-informed support to survivors, assisting with internal reports, Commission claims, and the careful negotiation of settlement deeds and non-disclosure agreements.

Professional Misconduct Matters

Allegations of misconduct can threaten a career. The firm represents professionals across various industries during formal investigations and disciplinary proceedings, ensuring that ethical and regulatory standards are met while fiercely defending the client’s livelihood.

Health and Discipline Law

Hall Payne Lawyers operates one of Australia’s largest health discipline practices. We represent doctors, nurses, and paramedics in AHPRA notifications, coronial inquests, and professional misconduct charges, navigating the complex intersection of health regulations and employment law.

Enterprise Bargaining Agreements

Enterprise agreements set the minimum conditions for specific workplaces. Hall Payne assists in the negotiation and approval process, ensuring agreements meet the "Better Off Overall Test" (BOOT) and protect the rights and fair wages of the employees they cover.

Employment Award Rights

Most Australian employees are covered by modern awards that dictate minimum pay and conditions. The firm provides clarity on award coverage and ensures that employers fulfill their obligations regarding overtime, allowances, and penalty rates.

General Protections Claims

Employers are prohibited from taking adverse action, such as demotion or dismissal, because an employee exercised a workplace right or has a protected attribute. By helping clients hold their employers accountable, we challenge adverse action taken due to union activity, workplace complaints, or family responsibilities.

Contract Negotiations

An employment contract is a significant commitment governing the terms, conditions and expectations of your employment. Hall Payne’s solicitors review and negotiate these terms, including compensation structures, bonuses and equity, to ensure clients fully understand their obligations before signing.

Contract Disputes

When a party fails to uphold their end of a contract, disputes arise. Our lawyers handle complex litigation involving breach of contract allegations, helping clients enforce their rights and recover entitlements that have been withheld or ignored.

Workplace Investigations

Being the subject of a workplace investigation can be distressing. Hall Payne provides proactive guidance through these processes, ensuring investigations are conducted fairly and that the client’s professional reputation and prospects remain protected.

Whistleblower Protection

Employees who expose malpractice or wrongdoing are protected by law from victimisation. We offer whistleblowers advice on how to make protected disclosures safely, ensuring they are shielded from retaliation or termination for speaking the truth.

Executive and Senior Management Termination

Senior executives often have fewer statutory protections, making contract law critical. Hall Payne specialises in managing executive exits, focusing on wrongful termination, bonus disputes, and the protection of deferred entitlements.

Restraint of Trade Disputes

Clauses that prevent an employee from working for a competitor must be reasonable to be enforceable. Our specialised team advises on the validity of these restraints, defending clients against excessive restrictions that unfairly limit their ability to earn a living.

Redundancy Claims

Redundancy must be deemed genuine to be legal. Hall Payne ensures that employees receive their full redundancy pay and entitlements under their contract or award, and investigates cases where redundancy is used as a cover for unfair dismissal.

Underpayment of Wages

Wage theft and intentional underpayment are unlawful and can have lasting financial consequences. Hall Payne assists clients in auditing their pay against awards and agreements to recover unpaid wages, superannuation and entitlements, often via the small claims division for a faster resolution.

Know Where You Stand Before You Act

Understanding Your Rights: Employment Law for Employees

Workplace issues don’t just stay at the office; they follow you home, affecting your sleep, your family and your confidence. When your livelihood feels at risk due to a redundancy or an unfair investigation, we step in with a legal perspective you can trust.

Our guidance ensures you have the tools to safeguard your livelihood and respond to workplace challenges with certainty.

Genuine Care & Human Connection
Over 30 Years of Experience
Accessible, Fair & Transparent
We Can Help

Facing an Employment Dispute?

STEP 1: Talk to a Lawyer Early

Time limits apply to many employment matters, so early advice can make a significant difference. Your enquiry is handled by a lawyer who listens carefully, keeps details confidential, and explains your options clearly.

STEP 2: Understand Your Rights and Risks

We help you understand how employment law applies to your situation, including potential risks, likely outcomes, and important deadlines.

STEP 3: Practical, Strategic Advice

Whether you’re responding to a current issue or planning ahead, we provide advice that’s pragmatic, commercially aware, and tailored to your circumstances.

STEP 4: Ongoing Support if You Need It

If your matter progresses, your lawyer will guide you through each stage, keeping you informed and supported throughout the process.

Practical Guidance for Managing People and Risk

Understanding Your Rights: Employment Law for Employers

Managing a team is one of the most rewarding parts of running a business, but it also comes with difficult conversations and high-stakes decisions. From drafting ironclad contracts to navigating sensitive workplace investigations or performance reviews, you want to ensure you are doing right by your people while protecting your organisation.

Hall Payne Lawyers partners with small businesses and not-for-profits to provide the practical, lawful strategy you need to resolve issues early, minimise risk, and maintain a positive workplace culture.

Our People

Meet the team

Our employment lawyers are known for their depth of knowledge, practical insight, and supportive approach as they help clients navigate workplace challenges.

Luke is recognised as one of Australia’s leading employment lawyers, with 24 years’ experience advising executives, unions and employees across complex employment, industrial relations, defamation and professional conduct matters.
Joseph specialises in employment and industrial relations, using his expertise to advocate for employees and unions and drive positive legal outcomes that address inequality and injustice.
Luke Tiley is an Accredited Workplace Relations Law Specialist and Principal at Hall Payne, recognised nationally for his work advocating for employees and trade unions across complex industrial, discrimination and employment matters.
Dale is a Principal Solicitor recognised for his work with unions and not-for-profits, bringing standout expertise in governance, regulatory compliance and industrial litigation
Elyane is a Principal Solicitor with 20 years’ experience specialising in industrial and employment law, enterprise bargaining and workers’ rights, with a strong focus on empowering clients and promoting social justice.
Henry is an employment and industrial lawyer with a strong union background and a commitment to access to justice, advocating for workers and individuals against large organisations while contributing to pro bono community legal services.
Juliana is a Principal Solicitor specialising in health and employment law, known for guiding health and other professionals through regulatory investigations with practical, compassionate support while protecting their careers and reputations.
Charlotte has a trade union background, fuelling her passion to advocate for workers’ rights, navigate complex workplace disputes, industrial matters and related criminal law issues with dedication and strategic insight.
Mark brings extensive union experience from his time as National Lawyer and National Secretary of the RTBU and a track record of handling complex employment disputes and advocacy at the national level.
Meghann Papa advocates for employees’ rights with a strong commitment to social justice shaped by her upbringing and experience in the trade union movement.
Leanne is an employee focused employment lawyer with extensive advocacy experience across Australia’s major courts and tribunals, driven by her core values of fairness, equity and social justice
Jennifer draws on experience across family, property and commercial litigation to guide workers through stressful employment disputes with clarity, calmness and practical problem solving.
Alexandra draws on experience as an Associate in the Federal Court to advocate for clients in employment, industrial relations and criminal matters across Queensland courts and the Fair Work Commission.
Jessie blends a background in geology with hands-on legal experience to present complex employment law issues in a clear, accessible way for workers treated unfairly at work.
Ben combines his experience as a federal court associate with his background in philosophy and socio-legal studies to advocate for workers’ rights and fair labour practices.
Shania brings strong litigation and advisory experience to workplace matters, helping clients understand their rights with clarity, compassion and clear guidance
Sebastian is a solicitor specialising in employment and industrial law, with a passion for social justice and advocating for workers’ rights, particularly within migrant communities.
Ignat combines his expertise as a registered nurse and lawyer to support health practitioners and other clients with employment, industrial and regulatory matters.
Max joins us during the final year of his Bachelor of Laws at UTS Sydney.
Your Resource For Clarity And Support

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