Julian provides specialist employment and industrial relations advice and advocacy for employers.
His particular expertise is in the Fair Work Act, the Fair Work Commission and in the owner driver jurisdiction of NSW. For over 10 years he has worked as an advisor to a broad range of businesses.
Bargaining and Enterprise Agreements
Julian has a particular interest in enterprise bargaining and provide strategic advice about bargaining approach and planning, negotiation technique, managing industrial action and securing agreement approval. He has also spent time embedded in large organisations directly assisting to achieve bargaining outcomes (most importantly ‘winning the vote’).
Julian acted in a range of successful enterprise agreement variation and termination applications of current and expired agreements and including high profile ‘Zombie’ agreements.
Employment Law and Employee Claims
Julian advises on employment contracts and policies, modern award and enterprise agreement interpretation and entitlements, and on managing underperforming, misbehaving or ill or injured employees.
He regularly appears for employers in defending and resolving employee claims (unfair dismissals, general protections/discrimination, bullying and underpayment claims).
External Engagement
Julian advises employers on their obligations and engagement with third parties such as the ombudsman, unions, wage inspectorate and the media.
Industrial Advocacy
Alongside his colleagues at ABLA, he has uniquely deep experience acting for peak employer associations in large scale industrial test cases.
During 2020 he appeared as the lead employer advocate for all employers in the ‘Paid Pandemic Leave’ Test case.
Over the past seven years, Julian acted as lead employer advocate, secondary advocate or as ‘point person’ in a range of prominent test case proceedings including the childcare industry case, the retail industry junior rates case, the public holidays test case, the family friendly working arrangements test case, the domestic violence leave test case, the casual and part-time test case, the district allowances case and the Casual Terms Review 2021. Julian was in the team involved in the well-known ‘penalty rates case’.
During these proceedings he has represented peak employer associations while also appearing for specific employer interests in Aged Care, Labour Hire, Horticulture, Early Childhood Education and Care, Retail, Health and Transport.
Owner Drivers
Julian has particular expertise in the regulation of owner drivers (contracts of carriage) in the NSW and Victorian system. He provides advice on cartage agreements, TWU and Wage Inspectorate engagement, contract determinations and agreements, goodwill claims and statutory regulation.
Investigations
Finally, in addition to advisory and advocacy work, Julian regularly undertakes confidential workplace investigations into workplace misconduct or whistleblower complaints.
Prior to his career as a solicitor, he was a Judge’s Associate working for a Justice on the industrial law panel of the Federal Court of Australia.