Our client is a leading international law firm with a well-regarded Employment practice in Sydney. Known for advising a broad range of Australian and multinational clients across sectors including financial services, retail, manufacturing, technology, aviation and professional services, the team handles sophisticated, high-stakes employment and workplace safety matters. The firm has a genuinely collegiate culture and a reputation for pragmatic, commercially-minded advice.
The Role
This is an urgent hire for a lean, high-performing Employment team of two partners, a Special Counsel and three junior lawyers. With two members of the team due to go on maternity leave, the firm needs a Senior Associate at the 5PQE level to step in and work closely with both partners across their respective specialisations: workplace safety and investigations, and broader employment and industrial law.
Given the team structure, this role offers genuine partner-level exposure and the opportunity to run matters with real autonomy from day one.
Key Responsibilities
- Working directly with two partners across workplace health and safety investigations, coronial inquests and prosecutions, and day-to-day employment and industrial relations advisory work
- Advising on unfair dismissal, adverse action and termination-related disputes
- Supporting the employment aspects of M&A, corporate restructures and business transfers
- Assisting with enterprise bargaining, industrial disputes and workplace investigations
- Managing matters independently while contributing to a small, close-knit team
- Approximately 5 years' PQE in employment and/or workplace safety law, gained at a well-regarded firm
- Strong technical grounding in employment, industrial relations and/or WHS law
- Experience with investigations, disputes or regulatory matters is highly regarded
- Confident written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to engage directly with clients and manage matters with minimal supervision
- A collaborative mindset suited to a small team environment
- Direct, hands-on exposure to two experienced partners and genuinely varied, high-profile work
- Autonomy and responsibility beyond what's typical at this level, in a lean team structure
- A relatively rare opportunity to join a well-regarded international employment practice at Senior Associate level
- Strong platform for career progression within a supportive, close-knit team
Established in 2014, Barratt Galvin is a specialist legal recruitment consultancy focused on private practice legal recruitment. Laura Barratt, our founder, has been recruiting throughout Australia, the Middle East and the UK since 2005, building deep market knowledge and long-standing relationships across each region.
We partner with leading international and regional law firms to recruit Lawyers, Legal Assistants, Business Development, Marketing, and HR professionals. Recognised for our strength in international law firm recruitment, we regularly advise on moves between the markets within which we recruit.
With strong Sydney and broader Australian market connections, we support both local career progression and international relocation for those seeking opportunities in the Middle East, UK, or beyond.
Barratt Galvin delivers specialist insight, discretion, and access to exclusive opportunities across Australian and global legal markets.
