Katie Weir
Special Counsel | Canberra
Dispute Resolution | Government | Safety | Workplace Relations
Katie is an experienced workplace lawyer and civil litigator, representing Commonwealth Government and private sector clients.
Katie advises on workplace issues, including employee entitlements, negotiating and interpreting enterprise agreements, executive employment contracts, and transfer of business issues. She has particular expertise in employment-related litigation, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, adverse action, right of entry, sham contracting proceedings, and enforcement of minimum workplace standards.
Katie is regularly appointed by employers to conduct investigations into alleged misconduct and public interest disclosures.
Katie also has extensive experience in a broad range of litigation matters, including contractual, joint venture and property disputes, misleading and deceptive conduct claims, workplace injury, insurance, debt recovery.
Katie has represented corporate and government clients before the Fair Work Commission, Australian Human Rights Commission and State and Federal Courts. As part of this practice, she advises on strategy and procedure in litigation, including in the context of the Commonwealth Government’s model litigant policy.
Experience
Katie’s experience includes:
- Representing the largest residential building company in the ACT in a number of Federal Circuit Court proceedings brought by the CFMEU in relation to the union’s right of entry under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth);
- Conducting investigations for a number of Commonwealth Government employers into alleged breaches of the Australian Public Service Code of Conduct, including bullying and harassment, misuse of Commonwealth resources, dishonesty and misuse of confidential information;
- Representing various employers in defence of adverse action and discrimination claims in the Fair Work Commission and Federal Courts;
- Advising Calvary Health Care ACT on the application of public sector employment standards to private sector employees working in public health; and
- Acting for the largest operator of nurse practitioner clinics in Australia in a dispute with a former employee regarding use of the company’s intellectual property in the establishment of a competing business.