Tom Brett

Biography

Tom is a partner in our Employment group.

He has deep expertise in business critical employment law matters. This includes termination matters and disputes (with extensive experience in executive terminations), workplace investigations, managing whistleblower complaints and assisting employers navigate through serious safety incidents, employee data breaches and post-employment restraint enforcement. Tom’s practice also covers industrial relations matters, including enterprise agreement making and advising on transfer of business and other employment issues in the context of mergers and acquisitions.

Tom is entrusted by businesses at these critical junctures, that often involve sensitive and reputational matters, which is overlayed by the legal issues that he guides employers through.

Tom’s practice includes advising large public listed organisations, private equity clients, and multiple clients in the technology, financial services, insurance and retail sectors.

His litigation experience includes involvement with government authorities like the former Australian Building and Construction Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman, as well as acting for employers in various proceedings in Federal and State Courts and Tribunals, including appellate jurisdictions, general protections, unfair dismissal and discrimination-based claims.

Experience

Tom’s experience includes advising:

  • eBay on the employment aspects of its Australian acquisitions, including Cars Guide and Sneakercon.

  • Resolution Life on its industrial relation strategy, including advising on the making and approval of its first enterprise agreement and acting in Fair Work Commission proceedings to successfully stop the transfer of a Commonwealth Bank enterprise agreement to Resolution Life.

  • Australian and multinational private equity firms on various employment matters, including hiring, termination and restraint matters concerning portfolio company executives.

  • Deliveroo on its exit from the Australian market, including negotiations with the Transport Workers Union and Deliveroo executives.

  • A global private equity firm in proceedings commenced by a former executive in the Federal Court of Australia.

  • A multinational technology provider in a multi-million dollar breach of contract claim in the NSW Supreme Court.

  • An Australian technology company on a complex whistleblower investigation, involving multiple parties and witnesses.

  • A US telecommunications company concerning a workplace investigation of sexual harassment allegations made against an Australian senior executive.

  • MILKRUN on its operational and workforce reduction, including on redundancy and stakeholder communication matters.