Matthew Peterson

Matthew is an experienced workplace relations and safety lawyer. He has advised publicly listed entities, private companies, not for profits and government organisations across the full spectrum of employment, industrial and safety law matters.

Experience

Matthew is known for his pragmatic approach and ability to deliver "down to earth" advice when solving complex workplace problems. Matthew partners with clients to achieve strategic outcomes.

Matthew is a skilled litigator, appearing in and briefing counsel for matters in the Fair Work Commission and the NSW IRC as well as various state and federal courts and tribunals. Matthew has particular experience in contentious restraint of trade litigation and the protection of confidential information as well as defending business critical employment-related claims.

Matthew's areas of expertise include:

• employment contracts and breaches
• restraints of trade and the protection of commercially sensitive data
• enterprise bargaining and responses to industrial action
• executive terminations
• restructures and redundancies
• defending complex unfair dismissal, general protections and discrimination claims
• workplace incident response and regulatory investigations
• corporate underpayments.

Career highlights

Matthew's career highlights include:

• acting for a global brokerage and financial technology firm in seeking and obtaining urgent injunctive relief in the Supreme Court of NSW restraining a former senior employee and a subsequent claim for liquidated damages amongst other relief
• acting for a construction company in seeking and obtaining orders in the Federal Court of Australia for the protection of its confidential information and intellectual property
• acting for a global manufacturer of premium sports equipment and apparel in successfully defending adverse action and breach of contract proceedings brought in the Federal Court of Australia by its former managing director
• acting for a state government-owned workers' compensation insurer in an application seeking orders to terminate protected industrial action
• supporting an international technology company with a sensitive workplace investigation
• assisting an international scuba diving and snorkelling equipment manufacturer with participating in a coronial inquest following the death of a recreational scuba diver
• advising and assisting an ASX-listed industrial services company with responding to a fatal workplace incident and subsequent investigation by the workplace regulator
• acting for employers in defending employment-related proceedings in various state and federal courts and tribunals, including the Fair Work Commission, the NSW IRC, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia.