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National firm absorbs global employment and disputes team
A Melbourne-based DWF principal has taken his team national following the former closing up shop on three Aussie offices.
Emma Musgrave
Highly acclaimed litigation expert George Haros has officially departed the firm and joined Gadens, bringing a team of seven with him who specialise in employment, industrial relations and commercial disputes.
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Mr Haros is described as being highly acclaimed in “advising and acting in both complex and high profile litigation for corporate clients, senior executives and elite sportspersons”. He is well-known for representing former Wallabies player Israel Folau in his employment dispute against Rugby Australia and the NSW Waratahs.
Joining Gadens with Mr Haros are senior associates Michael Harty and William Marshall, associates Alana Berney, Laura Italiano and Sarah Saliba, and lawyers Grant Klemm and Sara Demetrios. The team will be joined by legal assistants Angela Gamage and Kristen Dyer.
Mr Harty and Mr Marshall previously worked with Mr Haros when he was employed as a partner at Macpherson Kelley and were part of the team of six he took with him to DWF upon being appointed there in 2020.
“The appointment of this team is an integral part of our strategy, where we are investing in areas of rising importance to our clients,” said Mark Pistilli, Gadens chief executive.
“People are critically important to corporates, and we are seeing employment issues being discussed in the Boardrooms around the country. We want to be part of those discussions even more broadly than we currently are.
“We are committed to growing our expertise in this area of law, and securing a large team of this calibre really bolsters our Employment and Disputes credentials. They will work well with our existing market leading employment advisory partners.”
Commenting on the move to Gadens, Mr Haros said: “I have been very impressed by Mark and the Board’s vision for Gadens, and see the firm as a great fit for my team and our practice. Having access to the skills and support of a full service firm that operates across a range of industry sectors will be of enormous benefit to us, and will allow us to work with the existing teams at Gadens to grow the practice in Australia”.
Mr Haros and his team’s move to Gadens comes after DWF confirmed the closures of its operations based in Melbourne, Sydney and Newcastle, which resulted in 85 employees and 14 principal lawyers leaving the business. Following the decision, the group’s former managing director Jamie McPherson secured a post at HBA Legal, where he is now responsible for heading up the team’s newly launched occupational health and safety (OH&S practice).
Earlier this month, DWF announced it’d be launching its risk and insurance software division, DWF 360 to the Australian market as a way to provide an “end-to-end insurance solution” to local clients.
