Slater and Gordon is expanding its Industrial and Employment Law Practice in New South Wales and Queensland, strengthening its ability to support unions and their members across key jurisdictions.
The growth reflects the firm's 90-year history and commitment to providing industry-leading legal support for workers, combining practical knowledge with a focus on advocating for workers' rights across industrial protections, unfair dismissal, and workplace matters.
The expansion of the NSW and QLD team reflects Slater and Gordon's ongoing commitment to the union movement and to expanding access to justice for workers across Australia.
New appointments
Tim McCauley - Senior Practice Leader
Tim joins as NSW/QLD Senior Practice Leader and brings with him decades of experience representing unions and workers. Most recently, Tim served as Partner at Taylor & Scott Lawyers for the last decade.
Tim has also spent more than ten years working as a senior in-house lawyer for unions including the Australian Manufacturing Workers' Union (AMWU), Electrical Trades Union (ETU), and UNISON (UK).
He has appeared in courts and tribunals across every Australian jurisdiction - including the High Court - and brings deep experience in industrial disputes, union rules and regulation, civil penalty matters, discrimination, and sexual harassment cases.
Nicola Maher-Boyle - Legal Counsel
Nicola brings extensive experience from the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (NSW Branch) where she led teams of lawyers and industrial officers in major public sector wage and gender undervaluation proceedings.
She has also worked for other unions, including driving legislative reform initiatives while at the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU). Nicola brings strong expertise in union rules and governance, bargaining, sexual harassment, discrimination and workplace rights, and has represented unions and members across federal and state courts and tribunals.
Nicola is also a passionate advocate for gender equity, including presenting to the United Nations Working Group on Discrimination Against Women and Girls.
Emma Brown - Associate
Emma is an industrial and employment lawyer with experience representing unions and workers across many jurisdictions, including the Fair Work Commission, NSW Industrial Relations Commission, and anti-discrimination bodies.
Most recently, Emma worked at the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (NSW Branch) and was part of the team behind the historic work value and gender undervaluation case seeking a 35 per cent pay increase for NSW public sector nurses and midwives.
She has also worked at the Health Services Union's (HSU) NSW, ACT, and QLD Branch and brings practical, worker-focused advocacy for workers across the country.
National leadership
The expanded NSW and QLD practice will operate under the national leadership of Geoff Borenstein, who has been appointed National Head of the Industrial and Employment Practice. Geoff previously led Slater and Gordon's Victorian Industrial and Employment Law Department and brings more than 25 years' legal experience, including 15 years working in-house at Unions.
He is widely regarded as one of Victoria's leading union lawyers and has acted in major industrial disputes involving urgent injunctions to protect jobs, large-scale reinstatement matters, and complex bargaining outcomes.
"Tim, Nicola, and Emma each bring extensive union experience and a strong commitment to standing with working people across industries and services.
"Together with our existing NSW and Queensland team, they strengthen our capacity to support unions both locally and nationally, providing practical, strategic, and determined industrial and employment advice and advocacy.
"They understand the movement, the pressures unions face, and what it takes to deliver real outcomes for members and their families," Geoff said.
