AI Global Excellence Awards 2016

20 Acquisition International - Global Excellence Awards 2016 McDonald Murholme are an Australian employment law firm with offices in Melbourne and Adelaide. As the winner of the 2016 Global Excellence Awards: Most Outstanding Employment Law Firm, we profile this dynamic legal practice and explore how it aims to achieve excellence for each of its clients. s the sole plaintiff law firm in Melbourne to practice almost exclusively in employment law on a substantial scale, McDonald Murholme has created a niche market and prides itself on delivering excellence. Founded in 1996, when it incorporated the practice of Alan McDonald, who practiced in employment law and other areas as both a barrister and a solicitor since 1978, the firm has since grown rapidly in response to radical change in the workplace environment, created by the Keating government’s Workplace Relations Act 1996. The firm now employs 11 lawyers dedicated to practicing employment law, allowing prompt advice for employees to resolve their issues as efficiently and at as little cost to the client as possible. In order to achieve this, the firm is dedicated to allowing employees access to the employment laws within Australia, aiming to provide sound legal advice and strategy to make the laws work for employees when confronted with a better resourced and more powerful employer. Every one of its employees are skilled and very experienced in dispute resolution, to the benefit of both employees and employers. The staff at McDonald Murholme work in a cohesive and supportive team, sharing knowledge and ideas to ensure the best possible outcomes for clients. The practice also has an innovative structure which supports the development of its staff and ease of communication for its clients. As part of this, each lawyer at McDonald Murholme has a unique team of support staff, ensuring all the needs of the client are met. Each lawyer is supported by a Junior Lawyer and an Administration Assistant, as well as AHighly Personalised Service A 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 process of their claim and the steps moving forward. The Communications Assistant remains in contact with the client on a regular basis. This overcomes the common problem where busy lawyers do not spend sufficient time understanding the client’s perspective on how the case is proceeding. This perspective is well understood by a professionally trained Communications Assistant, rather than a PA to the lawyer. Overall, McDonald Murholme’s mission is to focus on fairness no matter what socio-economic background the client comes from, and as such the firm is dedicated to innovation in the practice of law. As part of this focus on innovation, and being a leader in the employment law field, McDonald Murholme is committed not only to assisting clients, but also educating the public through its free online resource: Employment Law Online (ELO) (www. employmentlawonline.com.au ). ELO is structured in a question and answer style format 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. This valuable resource demonstrates the ability of McDonald Murholme to interpret the laws and make them applicable for clients to achieve the most successful outcome. In addition, over the last year commentary provided by McDonald Murholme has featured in two front page articles in The Age newspaper – which has been syndicated across many other mainstream Fairfax publications such as the Sydney Morning Herald, again demonstrating the authority of the commentary from McDonald Murholme’s solicitors. Notably, McDonald Murholme has also been called upon a number of times by other well-acclaimed national newspapers, the Australian Financial Company: McDonald Murholme Web: www.mcdonaldmurholme .com.au Address: Level 12, 90 Collins St, Melbourne, VIC, 3000 Phone: (03) 9650 4555 “Overall, McDonald Murholme’s mission is to focus on fairness no matter what socio-economic background the client comes from, and as such the firm is dedicated to innovation in the practice of law.” 1701AI143