RCEP - Australia

Mills Oakley

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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.

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Key clients

  • Metarock
  • Visy
  • Rio Tinto
  • South32
  • Worley
  • Teys Group
  • Lipman Construction
  • The Riverside Coal Company
  • Hitachi Rail
  • GLNG
  • Mulpha Group
  • Cox Automotive Australia
  • Ramelius Resources
  • UWA
  • Janssen-Cilag and Johnson & Johnson
  • Shamrock Civil Construction Company
  • Destination Gold Coast Consortium
  • Palfinger
  • The Salvation Army
  • Grill’d
  • Shadforth Construction
  • Hastings Deering Australia Ltd
  • Ausdeck

Work highlights

  • Advising Lipman on a strategy to challenge an Improvement Notice issued by SafeWork NSW to reduce the range of matters for which Lipman could be prosecuted.
  • Advising a global company on a change of the approach taken to the selection, engagement and management of contractors since it commenced operations.
  • Advising a private client on a potential industrial manslaughter offence, which carries a maximum 20 year prison sentence and no option for a fine.

Lawyers

Leading individuals

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Harold Downes, Ross Levin, Laura Sowden, William Ward, Malcolm Davis, Rob Humphreys