katherine_aistrope

Key Areas

  • Industrial Relations
  • Enterprise Bargaining
  • Common Law Employment
  • Restraint of Trade
  • Termination of Employment
  • Occupational Health & Safety
  • Discrimination and Harassment
  • Privacy

Katherine Aistrope

Katherine is a Senior Associate at Trindade Farr & Pill. She joined the firm from the workplace relations team of an international law firm. Katherine was admitted to practice in 2003 and worked as a solicitor for a large national law firm. Katherine has also worked as a trade union industrial officer. Katherine was recently seconded to Toyota Motor Corporation Australia for 8 months. During that time Katherine was responsible for providing in-house legal support to the employee relations and human resources teams.

Katherine practices in all areas of workplace relations.

Skills and Experience:

Katherine has a broad range of experience in industrial negotiation, common law and statute based employment litigation including restraint of trade issues and unfair dismissals, and providing advice regarding managing termination of employment.

These matters include:

  • Devising strategy for enterprise agreement negotiations, conducting negotiations and drafting enterprise agreements, including in relation to major healthcare providers and a major retail company;
  • Appearing in unfair dismissal conciliation conferences and hearings;
  • Advising on compliance issues regarding the National Code of Practice for the Construction Industry;
  • Devising strategy and appearing in relation to union applications for protected industrial action;
  • Advising on and appearing in disputes under agreement dispute resolution provisions;
  • Appearing before various industrial tribunals, including Fair Work Australia, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission and the New South Wales Industrial Commission;
  • Conducting litigation in a range of Australian courts, including the Federal Court, Supreme Court of Victoria and County Court of Victoria;
  • Involvement in the Common Rule Test Case and in the variation of health sector awards as a result the Family Provisions Test Case;
  • Advising in relation to occupational health and safety obligations and conducting a review of occupational health and safety policies and procedures of a major state-owned enterprise;
  • Presenting seminars to a range of audiences in relation to current workplace relations issues;
  • Advising on managing risks associated with termination of employment, including providing guidance to employers in relation to termination of employment;
  • Successfully obtaining orders for a labour services provider restraining a former employee;
  • Advising on restructuring and acquisitions;
  • Providing advice on the impact of the Forward with Fairness policy and Fair Work Act, WorkChoices amendments to the Workplace Relations Act and subsequent legislative changes;
  • Advising a large consultancy and outsourcing company in relation to the application of the "Fairness Test" to AWAs;
  • Advising various multi-national companies in relation to general employment matters, including risks and strategy associated with the acquisition of businesses.

Publications

  • "Current Issues in the Termination of Construction Contracts" (co-authored), The International Construction Law Review ([2002] ICLR 409-558)

Qualifications and Affiliations:

  • LLB (Honours) University of Adelaide (2001)
  • BA (Honours) University of Adelaide (2000)

Katherine is a past Secretary of the Industrial Relations Society of Victoria and continues to be heavily involved as a member of the Executive Committee. She is a member of the Law Institute of Victoria.

Admitted to Practise:

  • Supreme Court of Victoria (2003
  • High Court of Australia (2003)

Contact

direct (03) 8641 6308
main (03) 8641 6333
mobile 0418 418 462
facsimile (03) 9642 2291
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