Practitioners Day

Friday 11th March 2022 a Full day Workshop -Online

Speakers and Topics

Independent Contracting - Luis Izzo - ABLA

Luis oversees ABLA's Sydney Workplace Relations practice and has over a decade’s experience practicing as a specialist employment and industrial relations lawyer acting for a broad range of employers across both the private and public sector.

IR & Discrimination in the Age of the Pandemic - Kellie Edwards-  Barrister, Denhams

A large proportion of Kellie’s practice is in the various employment and discrimination jurisdictions. Kellie also accepts briefs in administrative, trade practices, common law, and restraint of trade cases. She is a qualified arbitrator and mediator and has appeared in coronial inquiries

Underpayment of Employee Entitlements - Jane Seymour - Barrister, St James

Jane has specialised in employment, industrial relations and discrimination law for 30 years.  She advises and appears in matters in the Fair Work Commission, Federal Circuit Court, Federal Court, Australian Human Rights Commission and NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal. She is an Accredited Mediator and has significant experience representing parties and conducting mediations and conciliations of individual and collective workplace disputes.

General Protections and Dismissals- Penny Thew - Barrister – Greenway

Penny was called to the Bar in 2005 and regularly advises and appears in federal and most state courts and tribunals for corporate, government and individual clients primarily in employment, discrimination and commercial matters.

The Art of Advocacy - PJ Sams - Employment and IR Services

Peter Sams AM was appointed as a Deputy President to Fair Work Australia (as it then was) in 2010 after eleven years as a Deputy President of the Industrial Relations Commission of NSW.

Since leaving the FWC in 2021, Peter Sams launched PJ Sams Employment and IR Services and assists clients with mediations, investigations, EA and dispute negotiations and providing specific and strategic employment and IR advice.

Peter's session will cover;

Advocacy is essentially the art of persuasion. What has happened to the art of advocacy in the Commission?

Practical tips on how to be an effective advocate. The do’s and don’ts of appearing in the Commission.
Witness evidence and cross examination. Challenges for the future.

Unfair Dismissals - Tim McDonald - Principal – McCabe Lawyers

Over the last 20 years, Tim advised and represented employers, from a broad range of industries, such as hospitality, health, manufacturing, clerical, banking and finance, transport and logistics, real estate, building and construction, education and mining. These clients include some of Australia’s largest companies.

Sexual Harassment - Persephone Forster - Special Counsel -Kennedys

Persephone is an industrial and employment law specialist, her expertise covers the full spectrum of employment and workplace issues.

Persephone represents government and private clients across industry sectors including banking, tourism, health, transport and logistics and professional services.

She advises on enterprise bargaining, award and agreement interpretation, managing complex workforce change, dispute resolution, the extra-territorial application of Australian employment law, protecting data and intellectual property, enforcing restraints of trade, payroll tax, engaging independent contractors and mergers and acquisitions.

This session will provide an overview of the legal framework concerning sexual harassment in the workplace, including under the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth) and the anti-bullying jurisdiction expanded by the Sex Discrimination and Fair Work (Respect at Work) Amendment Act 2021. The session will also explore some recent decisions with a focus on what the FWC and Courts are saying about out-of-workplace conduct

Workplace Investigations - Matt Robinson - Partner and Solicitor – FCB Lawyers 

Mathew specialises in:

• Providing strategic advice on various labour structures, along with recommendation on their strengths, weaknesses and implementation
• Negotiating and drafting employment contracts, policies, enterprise agreements and individual statutory agreements
• Managing and mitigating lawful/unlawful industrial action and picketing
• Managing termination of employment cases
• Defending breach of contract and wage/entitlement claims
• Advising on corporate restructures, redundancies, and transfer of business and industrial instruments
• Proactive and reactive defences to discrimination and harassment issues.

Discrimination and industrial relations in the time of the Pandemic

Kellie Edwards  - Barrister

Discrimination and industrial relations in the time of the Pandemic - While the pandemic drags on and what it means to 'live with it’ continues to change over time, there have now been a number of decisions about the impact of the pandemic on workplaces.  This presentation will traverse case law to date, while assessing the impact of the choice of jurisdiction on the outcome and its relevance in a post pandemic world. 

Kellie is a discrimination and employment/industrial law specialist practising at the Bar since 2005.  Her practice includes hearings at both first instance and on appeal, as well as, high level investigations.  She has also been briefed in restraints of trade, coronial inquiries and administrative law matters.  From 2016 she has Chaired of the IAC Sanctions Tribunal and is a qualified arbitrator and mediator.  She was also a member of the then Equal Opportunity Division of the NSW Administrative Decisions Tribunal (now NCAT) from 1997 to 2003.

Vaccination and Post Covid Return to Work. 

Ian Latham (Barrister) 

Managing Ill and Injured Employees.

Anton Duc (Barrister)  

Anton was called to the bar in April 2015. He has a broad practice with a particular focus in employment and family law.

Since being called to the bar, Anton has represented a wide variety of clients from corporations and individuals and not for profits.

He has appeared in the Federal Court and Family Court (and Circuit Court), Supreme Court of NSW, District Court, Local Court and State and Federal Tribunals, such as the Fair Work Commission.

Please note - this will be an online workshop. Participants will be sent the relevant link(s) 24 hours before the start of the session.

Questions about bookings etc should be sent to membership@irsnsw.org.au