Solicitor, Work, Health & Safety in Melbourne

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer is a world-leading global law firm, where our ambition is to help you achieve your goals. Exceptional client service and the pursuit of excellence are at our core. We invest in and care about our client relationships, which is why so many are longstanding. We enjoy breaking new ground, as we have for over 170 years.

The Opportunity

We are seeking a Solicitor to join our Australian Work Health and Safety team, based in our Melbourne office. Working closely with Partner Steve Bell, as well as other specialist WHS Partners from our national team, you'll be a valued member of a market leading practice. You will advise clients across the full spectrum of WHS issues acting for Australia’s largest businesses – helping them with legal issues touching on proactive risk management, Board and Executive duties through to high-consequence workplace investigations, prosecutions and inquests.

What you’ll do

• Advise clients on work health and safety obligations, safety regulation and risk management strategies.
• Support clients in responding to serious workplace incidents, providing practical and timely guidance in the immediate aftermath of an event, including attending site and managing interactions with regulators and other investigators.
• Conduct or oversee workplace investigations into conduct issues, psychosocial safety matters or physical safety incidents.
• Advise on the strategies available to respond to regulatory investigations.
• Work on safety-related litigation, including criminal prosecutions, coronial proceedings, inquests and public inquiries.
• Partner with clients to develop and implement health and safety compliance frameworks, contractor engagement models and governance systems aligned to their operational needs.
• Collaborate closely with clients' executive teams, legal counsel, operational leaders and stakeholders to navigate complex workplace and regulatory challenges.
• Contribute to thought leadership, client training and presentations on developments affecting workplace health and safety regulation.
• Support the firm’s pro bono work, advising NFPs on a range of WHS matters.

What you’ll bring

• Admission to practice in Australia or New Zealand.
• Experience as a Solicitor practicing in WHS or relevant regulatory law within a leading private practice, government, or in-house environment.
• Excellent academic results and commitment to continuous learning.
• Strong communication skills and drive to develop as a lawyer within a market-leading practice.
• A positive, collaborative and team focused approach.
• An innovative mindset, curious about AI and emerging technologies.

What you can expect from us

We’re a world leading international law firm with a global team of over 6,000 professionals across 26 offices. As the market leader in Australia, we are committed to high performance, collaboration, diversity and digital innovation. We will align your growth with our ambitions. We will provide opportunities to learn on the job as well as a mix of learning opportunities tailored to you.

Join us to be part of a human, bold and outstanding team at Australia’s market leading law firm. We are committed to attracting people from all backgrounds and creating a respectful and inclusive culture where everyone thrives.