Anthony Lawrence
Tony specialises in all areas of workplace relations and occupational health and safety law.
Tony advises and represents clients, both companies and individuals, across a broad range of industries and has an extensive litigation practice built on his years at the Victorian Bar prior to joining the firm.
Tony’s expertise covers such areas as enterprise bargaining, workplace change and restructuring, termination of employment including unfair dismissal and general protections claims, anti-discrimination, restraint of trade and confidential information obligations, executive employment matters including engagement and termination and defending OH&S prosecution proceedings.
Tony is also a respected mediator and negotiator and has extensive experience in dispute resolution.
Experience
Tony’s recent experience includes:
- Building and Construction: Represented a major client in relation to prosecution proceedings brought under Victorian Occupational Health and Safety legislation in the County Court of Victoria as a result of a workplace fatality involving the collapse of a large piling rig;
- Financial Services: Represented a client in relation to proceedings brought against him in the Supreme Court of Victoria alleging breach of his contractual obligations in relation to restraint of trade and confidential information;
- Education: Successfully defended an unfair dismissal application brought against a client by a senior employee who was dismissed for bullying and harassment in the workplace;
- Manufacturing: Advised an employer in relation to a large scale restructuring of its workforce and all aspects of the redeployment and redundancy process that resulted therefrom;
- Airline industry: Conducted a major workplace investigation in relation to some 150 allegations of bullying and harassment in the workplace made by 5 employees which included drafting of a comprehensive investigation report including recommendations for future action; and
- Not for profit sector: Advised a major client in relation to the negotiation of a new enterprise agreement and the process involved for having the agreement approved by the relevant employees and the Fair Work Commission.