Employee Relations Courtney Ford Solicitor Freehills Why are you writing this?
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Hmm, good question. Mostly I wanted to clarify that &NQMPZFF 3FMBUJPOT PS A&3 JT i'SFFIJMMT 4QFBLw GPS its employment practice. I’m in my third 8-month rotation since starting as a Graduate in 2010 and I think the ER practice is pretty special, especially considering it exists within a large firm such as Freehills. So I wanted to give you the Gist.
+VJDZ NBUUFST o GSPN TFYVBM IBSBTTNFOU to on-site injuries, to workplace bargaining – our work is mostly just really interesting!
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8PSLJOH XJUI MFBEJOH FNQMPZNFOU lawyers in Australia who are passionate about the work they do.
The Gist Freehills’ employment practice is the largest and most highly-regarded in Australia, with our core areas of expertise including industrial relations, employment law, occupational health and safety, diversity and equal opportunity law, privacy and training. Our Singapore office also has an employment practice which is a leader for human resources solutions in the Asia region. Why employment?
A day in the life of ER throws a wide range of work at you – my day might include a trip down to court or Fair Work Australia, researching and writing a memo for one of the partners, drafting letters to WorkSafe Victoria in relation to an OHS prosecution, and assisting with a presentation on social media in the workplace (which includes legitimate research using Google, YouTube and Facebook).
For a junior lawyer, this means:
As the team is very social, my day will (inevitably) include catch-ups with other solicitors around the floor, and potentially a national telephone hook-up often held to keep us up to date with the latest cases and employment developments. If I’m really lucky the team may even be having a celebratory afternoon tea that day.
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So, what now?
While a number of large firms practice employment MBX PęFO B ATVC HSPVQ PG UIFJS MJUJHBUJPO QSBDUJDF for instance), Freehills is unique in that is has a separate and thriving employment practice.
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"O PQQPSUVOJUZ UP XPSL PO TNBMMFS matters with more responsibility (not always something easy to come by in a large firm). "O FYQPTVSF UP BEWJTPSZ MJUJHJPVT BOE even transactional-based work – as well as exposure to pre-eminent employers from a range of industries.
38 Melbourne University Law Students’ Society
Our team comes from all different backgrounds, and many of us did not study employment law as university. Though the work is often challenging, you will gain the skills required by simply working here as long as you’re enthusiastic and open to learning. Hope to see you here sometime – good luck!