About Kate
Kate is a highly skilled workplace relations lawyer, with experience across the full range of industrial and employment law matters. She has been practising as an employment lawyer for over 17 years and has a reputation for providing practical and commercial advice, based on sophisticated strategic judgment, exceptional technical skills and behavioural insight.
Kate works across both public and private sectors, representing clients in industries including education, mining, building and construction, technology and the charitable/non-profit sector.
Kate has an exceptional track record of conducting complex workplace investigations with professionalism and sensitivity, producing findings that withstand legal scrutiny. She also has extensive experience in dispute resolution and litigation, regularly acting as an advocate in industrial commissions and Courts.
Kate is able to adeptly combine a deep understanding of client goals with her formidable technical and negotiation skills to achieve outstanding commercial outcomes for her clients. She is recognised for her approachable and effective manner, and her capacity to lead, coach and teach others.
Specialisations
Experience
Workplace behaviour consultation
Designing and personally leading a whole of workforce consultation and policy development project regarding workplace behaviour and harassment risk, for a Commonwealth Government agency.
Restructuring project
Advising a global technology company on a market-sensitive workforce restructuring process, including a strategic plan for consultation, redeployment and redundancies.
Complex workplace investigation
Personally conducting a complex workplace investigation for a larger health sector entity, presenting findings demonstrating procedural fairness, analytical rigour and sensitivity.
General protections litigation
Advising on and successfully resolving general protections and breach of Enterprise Agreement proceedings for a public sector employer.
Public interest disclosure and corruption assessment
Leading a large scale investigation project with multiple respondents and cross-complaints for a NSW Government agency, involving issues of alleged procurement corruption, cultural safety/sensitivity and individual safety and wellbeing.
Executive people risk training
Delivering market-leading risk workshops and workplace training for Board and Executive teams.
Workplace bargaining support
Assisting a large white-collar employer with workplace bargaining, including assistance with staff communications and engagement, enterprise agreement drafting and ensuring compliance with ‘genuine agreement’ and other procedural requirements.
Underpayment dispute
Compliance planning for a large and complex operational workforce across regional NSW. This required project management and evidentiary assessments to implement a Tribunal decision awarding certain financial allowances.