Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors > Newcastle, Australia > Firm Profile

Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors
SUITE 402, LEVEL 4
WATT STREET COMMERCIAL CENTRE, 45 WATT STREET
NEWCASTLE
2300
Australia

Email firm Visit website 1300 565 846

Australia > Labour and employment Tier 5

With offices in Brisbane, Newcastle and Sydney, the ‘extremely talented’ team at Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors attracts an impressive clientele of corporate multinationals, financial institutions and insurers seeking aid on various employment matters. The practice is co-chaired by Nigel Ward, who has 35 years of experience in employee and industrial relations and regularly represents clients in court, Luis Izzo, a ‘superstar’ in the field and advisor to the public and private sector, and Kyle Scott, who expertly handles enterprise bargaining, post-employment restraints as well as employment litigation.

Practice head(s):

Nigel Ward; Luis Izzo; Kyle Scott

Testimonials

‘Deep technical expertise without pomposity. Genuine desire to meet clients’ needs and track record of doing so.’

‘Luis is a unicorn. Deeply knowledgeable, no ego. A genuine industrial relations expert amongst a raft of employment lawyers claiming to be. ’

‘Luis Izzo combines outstanding technical expertise with a pragmatism and commerciality borne from long experience and close collaboration with clients. A go-to advisor in the true sense.’

‘I use this firm for HR and industrial relations. The advice is succinct, informative, relative and practical. Billing is always clear and relatable to the work done. ’

‘The team is extremely talented – very much focused on providing efficient, effective and practical advice. ’

‘Luis Izzo is a superstar – great with clients.’

Key clients

Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Toll

Nestle

Lion

Icon Water

Centennial Coal

College of Law

Busways Group

Holcim

Boom Logistics

Pacific National

Sedgwick insurance

Calvary Care

Merivale

Guide Dogs

Coca Cola Australia

Svitzer

YHA Australia

Boral

Hanson

NH Foods

Newcastle University

Greater Bank

Catering Industries

Chobani

St John’s Ambulance

Sash Vets

Coogee Bay Hotel/Cruise Bar

University of Queensland Sport

Multigate Medical Products Pty Ltd

Ventia

Team Global Express

Chalouhi

Sonoma Bakery

Australian Maritime and Safety Authority

Teachers Mutual Bank Limited

Kato Laboratories

CH4 Drilling

Wingecaribee Shire Council

Work highlights

Advised Busways on a matter regarding exemption from the annual wage review increases awarded by the Fair Work Commission in 2022 and 2023.
Represented Catering Industries, a contract caterer operating the majority of its services in aged care homes.
Representing over 30 employers in the childcare sector in Australia’s first multi bargaining process under the new IR reforms passed by the Federal Government.

The firm: Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA) is an award-winning legal firm specialising in workplace relations, employment, industrial relations, workplace investigations and work health and safety.

ABLA continues to be at the forefront of major workplace and employment policy cases in Australia that create significant implications to businesses nationwide.

As a legal firm servicing businesses only, ABLA specialises in employment and industrial law from an employer’s viewpoint, giving clients an important edge

ABLA can simplify dealings with employees, from contractors to directors, offering practical legal advice and solutions designed to keep your business compliant and productive at all times.

ABLA is respected and recognised as providing expert legal advice, which has been cemented in the market with the following awards:

Workplace and Employment Team of the Year Excellence Award – Australian Law Awards 2022
Workplace and Employment Team of the Year – Australian Law Awards 2021
5 Star Employment Law Firm 2021 – HRD Australia
Employment Law Specialist Firm of Year – Australasian Law Awards 2021

ABLA’s employment practice has been involved in a number of leading test cases in recent years, including acting for the lead employer party in the Annual Leave Test Case , the Part-time/Casual Employment Test Case, the prominent Penalty Rates Test case and the Family Friendly and Domestic Violence Test case.

More recently, ABLA acted for ACCI in negotiating new ‘COVID-19 Schedules’ to apply in several modern awards. ABLA additionally led the employer response to union claims for paid pandemic leave and allowances and continues to work with employer associations to help businesses manage workforces during the shifting pandemic situation.

Our mantra is ‘experts make things simple’, and we live by it every day. We pride ourselves on giving plain-spoken practical advice. ‘Legalese’ is not our thing. Simplifying complexity, expressing it clearly and providing clear guidance to clients is the ultimate mark of true expertise. Making our clients’ lives easier is at the heart of our service ethos.

ABLA’s client base is varied, extending from overseas multinational companies, to leading ASX Top 100 companies, larger sized enterprises with 500+ employees and then small and medium sized enterprises. ABLA represents a number of industry bodies, including the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (which is Australia’s peak council of industry associations).

Our dedicated account management approach provides access to a team of lawyers that collaborate and co-operate across the firm and ensures that clients are provided with multiple points of contact on each matter to ensure the most prompt and efficient service.

Department	Name	Email	Telephone
	Nigel Ward, CEO	nigel.ward@ablawyers.com.au	+61 (0) 405 539 172
Workplace and Employment	Luiz Izzo, Managing Director - Sydney	luis.izzo@ablawyers.com.au	+61 (0) 408 109 622
Workplace and Employment	Julian Arndt, Associate Director	julian.arndt@ablawyers.com.au	+61 (0) 408 848 163
Workplace and Employment	Abraham Ash, Director	abraham.ash@ablawyers.com.au	+61 (0) 434 651 137
Workplace and Employment	Kyle Scott, Director - Newcastle	kyle.scott@ablawyers.com.au	+61 (0) 422 286 133