David McLaughlin joins the Melbourne office as principal in the employment and industrial relations group. Joining McLaughlin is Victoria Hull, a third year lawyer and Jamie Brook, legal secretary.

McLaughlin has more than 30 years experience in the areas of industrial relations and employment law.

He has experience appearing in the AIRC (now Fair Work Australia), equal opportunity tribunals and industrial relations jurisdictions of various courts.

McLaughlin’s clients include manufacturers, insurers, wholesalers and retailers, hospitality and entertainment industry employers.

On his new appointment, McLaughlin himself said: "I was attracted to M+K because it was dedicated to performing quality legal work, it understands the commercial realities that businesses face and the size of the team allows me to draw on the skills of other M+K lawyers throughout Australia.”

He talked about how unions and changing landscape are affecting the legal profession.

“In this changing workplace landscape there is evidence that unions are playing a greater role. If Unions play more of a role, the legal requirements in relation to enterprise agreements will affect the clients M+K focus on."

Coupled with the recent recruit of Tony Gooch, principal in the Sydney office and the acquisition of Hobart firm Dobson Mitchell Allport, the M+K employment and industrial relations team has further enhanced its national reach, the firm said.

M+K Lawyers has more than 230 employees and offices in Melbourne, Dandenong (Vic), Sydney and Hobart.