In employment & work injury related matters, L&W acts exclusively for workers and Unions. L&W also acts for injured persons in motor vehicle, public liability and medical negligence matters. L&W is strongly committed to the Union movement and advancing workers’ rights.

L&W acts for Unions in large-scale, complex employment litigation, including class action litigation, at the cutting edge of the fight against wage theft. For example, L&W currently acts for a Union in Federal Court litigation involving more than 300 employer respondents across Australia, including a well-known global corporation, seeking remedies in relation to thousands of employees.

L&W is also a leader in workers compensation litigation, representing injured workers in landmark workers compensation cases.

While most cases settle, in recent years there have been more than 200 decisions in L&W cases, mostly in the Federal Court and the South Australian Employment Tribunal.

Desirable characteristics for applicants

L&W is seeking to recruit two lawyers. The best “fit” for L&W is the central consideration. Accordingly, the following desirable characteristics will be applied flexibly.

• Admitted to practice or eligible for admission to practice in an Australian jurisdiction, ideally with post-admission experience OR experience representing Union members as a Union Industrial Officer (or in a similar role). Candidates not yet eligible for admission should still apply.
• Experience/knowledge relevant to Fair Work Act 2009 and / or Return to Work Act 2014 matters. Candidates without existing knowledge / experience in these areas but who are keen to work in these areas should still apply.
• Exceptional communication skills, efficiency, attention to detail and judgement.
• Ability to work independently and in a team.
• Experience in industrial/employment/workers compensation/personal injury litigation or in class action litigation or wills and estates highly regarded but not essential.

L&W will tailor the seniority of the position to suit the most appropriate candidates.

Candidates without experience in industrial/employment/workers compensation litigation should not be deterred from applying. L&W has successfully recruited lawyers interested in our practice areas from unrelated practice areas who have flourished in our practice areas.

Legally qualified candidates who have not pursued admission to practise because of appearance rights while employed by a Union are encouraged to apply.

Junior candidates can expect to be mentored by experienced lawyers with years of experience in our practise areas.

L&W generally has in mind a full-time position, but is open to other working arrangements.

Working at L&W

Working at L&W gives practitioners the opportunity to work on a diverse range of matters in employment and work injury litigation, and some other fields. The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop their skills in advice, litigation and advocacy and will be supported to take on challenging and meaningful work.

Current and pending large-scale Fair Work Act litigation involves very interesting work with substantial opportunities for development.

L&W’s relationship with the Union movement makes working at L&W being part of something bigger, and enables our lawyers to work with Unions and Union members on a range of important industrial issues with significant social impact.

Through its relationship with the Union movement, L&W seeks to improve access to justice by enabling individual clients to pursue matters which might otherwise be beyond their reach.

L&W gives experienced practitioners substantial freedom in the conduct of their practice, within the firm’s practice model. We foster a collegiate working environment.

There are opportunities for lawyers at L&W to run their own matters as counsel.

L&W has flexible working arrangements (including rostered days off and flexibility about where and when work is done), including through an enterprise agreement. The enterprise agreement also includes paid parental leave, 23 days annual leave plus three paid days leave during the festive season, superannuation above normal mandatory employer contributions, paid study leave, and minimum annual pay rise provisions.

L&W doesn’t have a website or “online presence” – so don’t be surprised when you don’t find one! For many years, through word-of-mouth and relationships, L&W has been fortunate enough to receive substantially more requests from potential new clients seeking that L&W act for them than we can accommodate. That has made a website and advertising unnecessary and has allowed solicitors to focus on representing clients rather than trying to attract new ones.

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Applications will be treated in strictest confidence.