Senior Associate / Special Counsel - Employment & Safety - Brisbane

Dentons; Brisbane; Hybrid; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Dentons Australia seeks an experienced Senior Associate or Special Counsel to join the Employment & Safety team in Brisbane. You will handle complex government and major client matters with autonomy and senior stakeholder exposure, including litigation, investigations, and advocacy.

This role emphasises public sector employment, industrial relations and strategic disputes, with opportunities for leadership, mentoring juniors, and global firm resources.

Qualifications

• Public sector employment experience is essential.
• Strong employment and industrial relations experience.
• Solid litigation, advocacy and stakeholder-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Work on sophisticated employment and industrial relations matters for government and major clients.
• Handle discrimination, general protections, and industrial relations issues.
• Engage in advocacy and litigation before courts, commissions and tribunals.
• Conduct workplace investigations and manage sensitive matters.
• Provide strategic legal advice and client exposure at a senior level.

Skills

Public sector experience

Employment & IR experience

Litigation & advocacy

Autonomy with senior stakeholders

Job description

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Senior Associate / Special Counsel - Employment & Safety - Brisbane

Dentons is the world’s largest law firm. We’re 20,000+ people globally across 80+ countries including USA; Europe; India and Asia. We are a global polycentric firm which is expanding rapidly in an increasingly globalised legal industry.

Dentons now consistently ranks as one of the five best regarded legal brands in the world according to the Acritas Global Elite Law Firm Brand Index.

Public sector employment expertise? This could be your next move.

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Associate or Special Counsel to join our Brisbane Employment & Safety team.

This is a senior opportunity for an employment lawyer withstrong public sector experience who enjoys complex, contentious work and wants greater autonomy and client exposure.

The Role

You’ll work on sophisticated employment and industrial relations matters for government and other major clients, including:

• complex employment and industrial disputes;
• disciplinary and performance matters;
• discrimination and general protections claims;
• certified agreement and industrial relations matters;
• advocacy and litigation before courts, commissions and tribunals;
• workplace investigations; and
• sensitive, strategically important workplace matters.

About You

You’ll bring:

• strong employment and industrial relations experience;
• demonstrated public sector or government experience;
• solid contentious, litigation and advocacy skills;
• confidence managing complex matters and senior stakeholders; and
• the ability to work autonomously while supporting junior lawyers.

Experience gained withgovernment or a private practice with a strong government employment practice would be highly regarded.

Why Apply?

This is an opportunity to develop your career in a team with deep experience inpublic sector employment and industrial relations, while working on complex and significant matters.

You’ll have the autonomy expected at your level, alongside the support and opportunities that come with being part of a global law firm.

Ready for your next move?If you’re a senior employment lawyer with public sector expertise, we’d love to hear from you. Why Dentons

Dentons Australia offers a wide range of incentives aimed at embracing your authenticity, providing purpose, and strengthening your ongoing development.

We offer:

• Equitable salary packaging, incentive pay and rewards
• Salary continuance insurance (for permanent employees or employees on a 6 month or more maximum term contract basis)
• Salary sacrificing and novated vehicle leases
• 5 days Bonus Leave per year after 12 months of service
• Additional leave options
• Equal family leave for all genders (including kinship groups)
• Floating public holidays for days of cultural significance
• Offices designed for collaboration on Gadigal, Naarm, Yuggera, Kaurna and Whadjuk land
• Generous health and wellbeing programs
• Agile and flexible working for all
• Social and diversity networks providing year-round events
• Opportunities to undertake pro-bono legal work

Diversity, Equality & Inclusion

Embedded in our people is a passion to help others through the delivery of justice. It is through this that our commitment to inclusion, equity, and reconciliation has evolved. We are proud to say that by design, we have no single headquarters or dominant national culture, this means the unique perspectives, experiences, and identities of our people come together globally under one purpose to create an inclusive and accessible environment where anyone can thrive.