Michelle Dawson

Michelle’s work as a legal advisor and advocate for both employees and employers over decades spans all aspects of employment, industrial relations, and anti-discrimination law. As well as being accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as an Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations since 2012, her experience and expertise outlined below underscore her ability to obtain great outcomes for her clients, employers and employees alike:

• Interpreting and advising on application of employment and industrial legislation including the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), Enterprise Agreement and Award terms and compliance
• Employment disputes, litigation, and dispute resolution, including unfair dismissal, general protections, unlawful termination, underpayment, breach of contract, post-employment, including interlocutory and costs applications and appeals
• Industrial and Enterprise Agreement disputes, dispute prevention and strategy
• Enterprise bargaining including advising, drafting Enterprise Agreements, negotiations, BOOT assessments, process requirements, advising on Enterprise Agreement termination and variation
• Bullying risk management, investigations, workers’ compensation claims, Stop Bullying Applications, and dispute resolution
• Sexual harassment risk management, investigations, claims, litigation, and dispute resolution
• Workplace investigations
• Transfer of business and transferrable instruments on sales, mergers, and acquisitions, including leave and entitlements issues, and legal due diligence
• Advising on redundancy and workforce management strategies, including stand down, outsourcing and restructure
• EO/Discrimination risk management, investigations, claims, dispute prevention and resolution, including for equal remuneration and gender pay gap issues
• Workers’ compensation advice for employers and employees as to claims processes, claims determination and risk management
• Auditing employment and industrial process, practice, procedures, and wages to assist employers with the development, implementation and maintenance of legally compliant approaches and the prevention of disputes
• Drafting, interpreting, and advising on workplace policies and procedures
• Delivering workplace training
• Drafting, negotiating, interpreting, and advising on employment contracts and independent contractor agreements and arrangements

Michelle is a longstanding contributing member of the LIV Accredited Specialisation Scheme Workplace Relations Advisory Committee and a member of the NSW Law Society’s Employment Law Committee. She is also a member of the Australian Human Resources Institute and the Industrial Relations Society of NSW.

Michelle founded and established Emplawyer in August 2022.

In July 2023, Michelle was named the winner of the prestigious Lawyer’s Weekly Employment Law Partner of the Year award.