Biography
With 20 years of specific workplace relations experience, there is little that Michelle hasn’t seen or helped a client with before.
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Laws (2006)
- Bachelor of Legal and Justice Studies (2002)
- Associate Degree in Law (2000)
- Admitted to practice in both the Supreme Court of Queensland and the High Court of Australia in 2007
- Accredited Specialist Workplace Relations (since 2012)
- Specialisation Scheme Workplace Relations Advisory Committee Member, Law Institute of Victoria (since 2014)
- Employment Law Committee Member, Law Society of NSW
Recognition
- LawyersWeekly, Employment Law Partner of the Year 2023
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
- Advising employers as to the management of injured workers
- Drafting, negotiating, interpreting, and advising on employment contracts and independent contractor agreements and arrangements
- 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 in navigating the complexities of the workers compensation regimes in various States, including in relation to the management of complex premium and claim situations
- 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
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 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. Michelle was shortlisted as a finalist for the same Award in 2025.
