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.

With offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Perth and Brisbane, Corrs Chambers Westgarth has a strong presence across the country. The team’s strengths lie in settling contentious issues and providing advice to clients across a number of key industry sectors, including financial services, retail, government, infrastructure and energy. Practice head John Tuck is known by national businesses, corporate clients and federal governments for his expert handling of investigations, projects and employment strategies. Marie Costa assists with initial advisory work and preventative training, as well as investigatory work and prosecutions. The team has recently welcomed new hires Kirsty Faichen and Giacomo Giorgi from Herbert Smith Freehills LLP.

Fielding skilled practitioners across Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Sydney, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP 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.

With WHS teams based across Australia, K&L Gates offers clients a national service, which attracts domestic corporates and government agencies alike. The practice benefits from the dual leadership of Paul Hardman, whose focus is on the agribusiness and resources sectors, and Stephen Hardy, whose practice has an emphasis on matters in the property and construction industries. The deep bench includes Alanna Fitzpatrick, who ‘can be relied upon for support in time-pressure situations’ and Dominic Fleeton, who is considered ‘the go-to person for WHS advisory in Melbourne’, both of whom are routinely sought out by clients for advice on safety compliance, investigations and court prosecutions.

A mix of high-profile corporates, private companies and government agencies make up the stellar client base of Mills Oakley, all turning to the group for advice on WHS matters, from initial due diligence work and incident response through to investigations and court appellate trials. Leadership of the practice is shared between six lawyers: in Brisbane, Harold Downes brings 30 years of experience helping clients with safety compliance and incident response, and in Melbourne, Ross Levin’s practice blends health and safety defence with health and safety fraud matters. In the Sydney office, Laura Sowden routinely represents respondents in cases of discrimination, harassment and unfair dismissal before various courts, and Malcolm Davis brings over 20 years of experience advising clients in the construction and agricultural sectors on health and safety. Canberra-based partner William Ward proficiently juggles a range of general protection claims, and Rob Humphreys in Perth advises on workplace incidents and investigations.

The team at Minter Ellison works with clients from a range of sectors, from transport to health. Co-led by Deanna McMaster, a specialist in health and safety, and experienced practitioner Trent Forno, the group advises on the gamut of WHS matters. The ‘exceptional’ Harriet Eager handles work in the financial services and higher education sectors, while Craig Boyle assists clients in the agriculture, logistics and mining sectors. Rhian O’Sullivan advises across the private and public sectors and represents clients in various courts and tribunals.

Piper Alderman's expertise spans the gamut of WHS matters, from initial legal advice through to defence and prosecution. Under the guidance of practice head Shane Entriken, who leads from Perth, the team educates and advises their predominantly national client base – consisting of boards, employers, officers and regulators – on a range of health and safety matters. The strong bench includes Andrew Jonklaas, who advises on health and safety compliance, particularly within the mining, transport and energy industries, and Lauren Baker, whose practice blends strategic advice with disputes and court litigation services.