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HSF industrial relations partner swaps firms
After more than 28 years at Herbert Smith Freehills, employment law specialist Paul Burns has announced his exit for a national firm.
Melissa Coade
Paul Burns (pictured) has joined the Melbourne office of Corrs Chambers Westgarth. The recruitment of the former partner of HSF’s industrial relations practice has been hailed by the national firm as an enhancement of its “elite employment and workplace relations practice”.
“With Paul joining our firm in a role with a strong national focus, our employment and workplace relations team is now better than ever equipped to offer real commercial insight and solutions to employers about their people, threats to their brand, business and reputation from employment litigation, organised labour and restructuring,” Mr Denton said.
Corrs is in the process of an ongoing drive to build its employment and industrial relations practice to help clients respond to the ever increasingly demands of a modern and globalised economy.
“Businesses and organisations in virtually every industry and sector are under enormous pressure given their exposure to employment, labour and safety issues,” Mr Denton said.
“Traditional employment models are being tested by hyper competitive landscape, fragmentation of labour, globalisation and the growing impact of the digital economy and automation. Many businesses are faced with unwinding unsustainable and non-competitive labour enterprise agreements to reduce labour costs and improve flexibility.”
A statement provided by the firm said that Mr Burns had a deep understanding of the complexities of public sector employment arrangements. It went on to say that he was also recognised in the field for his strategic thinking and innovative solutions.
“Paul has deep experience and expertise in workplace reform projects, crisis management, dispute resolution and organisational restructures, providing high level advice to many of Australia's leading corporates for more than 25 years,” the firm said.
Mr Burns counts companies in the mining, retail, logistics, energy, manufacturing, finance, telecommunications, hospitality industries, as well as government, among clients for whom he has acted.
