Wealth & Finance International - March 2017

Wealth & Finance International 52 Excellence in Employment Services cDonald Murholme employs 11 lawyers dedicated to em- ployment law and the firm overall is dedicated to providing access to the employment laws within Australia, aiming to offer sound legal advice and strategy to make the laws work for employees when confronted with a better resourced and more powerful employer. The practice has a rich history of being a pioneer in the Australian employment law market, supporting changes to the law to support the rights of citizens across the country. For example, McDonald Murholme was a key player in the enforcement of the new Workplace Relations Act 1996. It built a substantial legal practice and a very strong skill set in the settling of disputes between individual employees and their employ- ers. McDonald Murholme usually acted for employees, notwithstanding that the firm had no Labor or union based affiliation. It did so objectively and purely from a legal viewpoint, focussed on the legal merit of individ- ual cases, not an ideology as such. It focussed on the principle that there are often disputes in the work- place about the performance of employees, but these disputes should be resolved quickly and at a minimal cost to all concerned. It therefore focussed on a high volume-low cost case management model, consis- tent with the objectives of the Workplace Relations Act 1996. Additionally, from 1996 – 2001, McDonald Murholme is credited with the spike in applications to the Industrial Relations Commission (now known as Fair Work) in Victoria, greater than in any other state in Australia. The McDonald Murholme team of lawyers resolved more disputes through conciliation than any other law firm in Australia over many years. Its lawyers became highly sought after and were head hunted into every leading law firm in Australia (much to the chagrin of the founder of the firm). During this time the firm was highly visible in the media by reason of its need to attract clients who are not union affiliated and who did not have repetitive claims. The Gillard Government introduced a new raft of radical reforms in the Fair Work Act 2009. This created a substantial in- crease in the work of McDonald Murholme, which had otherwise settled down in the latter part of the Howard years. The firm now employs 11 lawyers and has been at the forefront of the enforcement of the current Act. The philosophy of the firm remains unchanged, in that it provides a fast, efficient and affordable dispute resolution mechanism, which makes it attractive to both its client employees and facilitates easy reso- lution for the employers where they wish to do so. In addition to being a trailblazer and changing the employment law mar- ket, the firm also prides itself in being a leader in the employment law field by not only assisting clients but also educating the public through its free online resource: Employment Law Online (ELO) (www.employ- mentlawonline.com.au ). This unique resource is structured in a question and answer style for- mat which provides easy to read access to some of the most common issues seen in Australian workplaces. Many clients utilise this website to empower themselves with some initial knowledge and revert back to McDonald Murholme when required. Clients working with McDonald Murholme receive not only the resourc- es needed to succeed, but also the support. Each lawyer has a unique team of support staff, ensuring all the needs of the client are met. They are also supported by a Junior Lawyer and an Administration Assistant, as well as a team of communications staff who act as a liaison between the Lawyer and Client. This structure ensures that each client receives a highly personalised service. From the first appointment the prospective client is introduced to a member of the communications team who briefly explains the pro- cess of their claim and the steps moving forward. The Communications Assistant remains in contact with the client on a regular basis. By focussing heavily on the communications of the business, the common problem where busy lawyers do not spend sufficient time understanding the client’s perspective on how the case is proceeding is overcome, thus ensuring the best possible service for clients. There are many challenges facing the legal profession currently, as even the largest of the law firms have felt the pressure to amalgamate with larger firms located overseas, disempowering and frustrating many local lawyers who feel that they are working for large international corporates, with less say over their own personal futures. Not all of the global mergers have been successful and even the success- ful ones have not delivered substantial increases in incomes for Austra- lian lawyers. Some mid-sized law firms have expanded strongly while a few of the very small law firms have gone out of business altogether. This combined has created valuable business opportunity for our firm to consistently grow at a rate of more than 25% per annum over recent years. McDonald Murholme is the leading employment law firm for employees based in Victoria and South Australia. We profile the firm to find out more about the secrets behind its success. M WL17001