A senior lawyer in the workplace relations team, Nina is an experienced employment advocate specialising in safety prosecution matters across the manufacturing, meat processing and education sectors. She is an active member of the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria.
Safety prosecutions
With a broad based employment law practice spanning everything from restraints of trade, enterprise and employment agreements to unfair dismissal and general protection claims, Nina’s specialist expertise lies in preventing and defending safety prosecution matters across Australia. Instructed by large enterprises in the manufacturing and meat processing industries, she draws on her in-depth industry sector knowledge to craft preventative safety strategies and mitigate the impact on businesses when workplace incidents do occur.
Strategic governance
For any organisation dealing with health and safety risks, prevention is always better than the cure. Regularly providing strategic governance advice to CEOs and management boards, Nina is adept at identifying risk points within workplace environments. She then guides clients through the process of implementing mitigation measures, from infrastructure and policy changes to in-house training.
With years of experience working in close partnership with her client industries, Nina knows that even the most robust safety plans are subject to human error – and that maintaining a healthy relationship with regulators can be instrumental in managing the risk of prosecution. By ensuring ongoing compliance and cooperation, Nina helps clients build defences which become crucial if and when a mistake does occur.
Defending claims
Sometimes, despite the best of intentions, things do go wrong – particularly in operations involving hundreds of employees and extensive plant and machinery. In the aftermath of an incident, Nina advises on regulator notification and the investigation processes, and works with consultants under privilege to rectify any outstanding issues and prevent prosecution wherever possible. When prosecutions cannot be avoided, Nina assists clients in navigating the complex landscape of safety litigation. She has a strong track record of achieving successful and commercially sound resolutions from the Magistrates Court through to the Supreme Court, ensuring that any prosecution outcomes prioritise protecting client reputations.
Deep industry expertise
Because she works almost exclusively within the meat processing and manufacturing niche, Nina understands the safety concerns inherent to these industries inside out. Proud to build close and sustained working relationships, she cultivates an environment in which her clients have access to support when they need it – whilst also building their own capacity to manage safety risks in the future.