With offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth, market leader Ashurst boasts a strong national presence which attracts a plethora of blue-chip multinationals, domestic corporates as well as federal and state governments. The team is well versed in conducting workplace investigations, dealing with psychological risks and cases of harassment, bullying and discrimination. The team is home to practice head Lea Constantine, in the Sydney office, who is known for her sound strategic advice along with her work with high-risk events, investigations and inquiries, as well as former prosecutor Scarlet Reid, who has in-depth knowledge of workplace health and safety (WHS) law and advises on prosecutions and safety compliance. James Hall’s health and safety expertise is sought out by major coal companies in Queensland in particular.

With offices across Australia and throughout the Asia Pacific region, workplace health and safety authority Clyde & Co LLP has national expertise and global capabilities. The team deals with all manner of general day-to-day workplace disputes, including high-profile and contentious matters involving allegations of sexual harassment, bullying and gender discrimination. Alena Titterton is known for her ability to handle prosecutions and investigations, specialising in anti-terrorism, biosecurity and cybersecurity. Michael Tooma and Kiri Jervis left the firm in November 2023.

The team at Clayton Utz is highly sought after in the infrastructure, energy, natural resources and construction sectors, among others. The practice is co-headed by Brisbane-based partner Shae McCartney, who assists private and public sector clients with incident response, prosecution management and policy review, along with Dan Trindade in Melbourne, who is well versed in dealing with court prosecution. Another name to note is Hilary Searing, who advises on incident response (including how to deal with police and media after serious incidents), conducts safety investigations and has litigation experience in defending complex matters.

Fielding skilled practitioners across Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney, Herbert Smith Freehills leverages national expertise across a variety of work health and safety matters. The practice is led by Steve Bell, who is highly sought after by clients for advice on employment litigation and risk management. The team is bolstered by Miles Bastick, who is the first point of contact when it comes to high-risk and private employment and safety matters, and by the input of Aaron Anderson, who has 24 years’ experience working in health and safety. Anderson regularly acts for clients in investigations and prosecutions, as does key practitioner Anna Creegan.

Kingston Reid offers clients a ‘truly national’ practice, with practitioners based across its offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Brisbane, allowing ‘members from the team to cover all jurisdictions simultaneously’. The team works to help businesses comply with the law, not only by offering training and guidance across workplace health and safety but by putting the systems in place that allow them to do so. Practice head John Makris (Sydney) provides advice to clients within the transport sector, while Michael Stutley (Perth) attracts clients from health and aged care, often representing clients in courts. Erica Elliott (Sydney), who has 15 years of litigation experience, focuses on helping prevent workplace incidents before they occur, as well as responding to them when they do.

The team at Maddocks is well versed in dealing with a variety of workplace health and safety matters, such as bullying, anti-discrimination, unfair dismissals and contract terminations, attracting instructions from governmental bodies and large multinationals. The department's breadth of experience also extends to Federal and High Court representation. Catherine Dunlop is often sought after for her ability to navigate fatality responses and sensitive sexual harassment matters; she co-leads the practice from Melbourne with Bruce Heddle, who has over 35 years of experience working on employment and workplace health and safety matters.

The team at Norton Rose Fulbright offers clients assistance across the full life cycle of  workplace health and safety issues, from regulatory and compliance through to crisis response, investigations and prosecutions. Katherine Morris steers the group, which is sought by clients from the renewables and infrastructure sectors for assistance with compliance as well as psychosocial risk management. The deep bench features Martin Osborne, known for his ‘excellent regulatory advice and great knowledge of regulator drivers’, and the ‘attentive and responsive’ Nicki Milionis.

Seyfarth Shaw LLP’s clients, which are often multinationals operating in the telecoms, manufacturing, construction, mining and resources sectors, turn to the group for its strong workplace health and safety capabilities. In Sydney, leadership of the practice is shared between Paul Cutrone, who handles policy issues and incident management, and Darren Perry, who manages contract termination disputes, while in Melbourne, practice co-head Penny Stevens routinely attends to matters of client defence and prosecution.

The WHS team at Allens handles a breadth of matters, from initial due diligence and safety training through to regulatory investigations and litigation. Simon Dewberry, who specialises in matters of discrimination, harassment and termination of employment, co-leads the practice alongside Samantha Betzien, who arrived from Minter Ellison in 2022. Betzien is well versed in compliance and risk management, as well as investigations and court prosecutions.

The WHS team at Colin Biggers & Paisley is highly sought after by companies in the construction, aged and community care, and education sectors, where it is known for advising on employee safety, risk management and managing industrial relations. Greg McCann leads the practice from the Sydney office and leverages his expertise in the mining and local government sectors, while Brisbane-based partner Megan Kavanagh advises on a variety of WHS matters, from bullying and investigations to, more recently, psychosocial hazards within the workplace.

Known for its ability to juggle regulatory compliance work and litigious matters, King & Wood Mallesons attracts a range of clients from the natural resources, financial services and real estate sectors. The practice is jointly led by Philip Willox, who is a key point of contact for those seeking help with workplace injury and investigations as well as bullying and sexual harassment cases, and Andrew Gray, who assists companies with the development of safety governance systems. Both practitioners have 30 years of experience working on WHS matters. Ruth Rosedale is another name to note; her practice encompasses both contentious and non-contentious health and safety matters.