Justine Turnbull is a partner in Freehills’ Employee Relations practice. Justine brings together her extensive legal skills and strong industry knowledge to provide practical and commercial advice on a broad range of employment related matters.

Justine has substantial experience in advising major companies in a range of industries including financial services, retail, food manufacturing and distribution, construction, resources, recruitment, property, media, pharmaceuticals and logistics.

Justine also has experience in working as an in house legal adviser with a large Australian listed entity which gives her a deep understanding of clients’ commercial and operational needs.

Justine regularly provides strategic advice to corporate clients relating to:

• executive employment arrangements including advice regarding issues arising under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and the Listing Rules of the Australian Stock Exchange, corporate governance issues and the enforceability of restrictive covenants
• employment and termination of employment including pre-employment issues, alternative employment arrangements, minimum legislative entitlements, the application and operation of industrial instruments, privacy, equal opportunity, performance management, misconduct and agreed termination arrangements
• proceedings in the Australian Industrial Relations Commission, the Industrial Court of New South Wales, the Industrial Magistrates Court, the District Court, the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Federal Court
• mergers and acquisitions
• employee incentive schemes
• the engagement and termination of contractors
• obligations under occupational health and safety (OHS) legislation, client presentations regarding OHS obligations, representation and advice in respect of OHS prosecutions and advice regarding employee organisation right of entry issues, and
• the application and operation of various industrial instruments, the implementation of potential alternative industrial arrangements and the role of employee organisations in the industrial workplace context.

Justine holds a Bachelor of Economics majoring in Accounting and a Bachelor of Laws with Honours from the University of Sydney.

Limits on termination payments: Bill introduced into Parliament

Following consultation in relation to the Exposure Draft of the Federal Government’s proposed legislation limiting termination payments to certain executives, the Corporations Amendment (Improving Accountability on Termination Payments) Bill 2009 (Bill) was introduced into Parliament on 24 June 2009. More »

Limits on termination payments: Exposure Draft legislation released

Following the announcement on 18 March 2009 proposing reforms to the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) in respect of termination payments to certain executives, on 5 May 2009 the Minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, Senator Nick Sherry, released an Exposure Draft of the Corporations Amendment (Improving Accountability on Termination Payments) Bill 2009. In this article we discuss the proposed amendments and suggest some practical issues which may arise from these draft amendments. More » 

Executive remuneration: Treasury changes, Fels review and more

As the global financial crisis continues to affect the corporate sector with depressed share prices and rising unemployment, there is greater and greater scrutiny of executive remuneration taking place. In particular, media criticism of termination payments to executives has resulted in a plethora of reform proposals from stakeholders designed to curb executive salaries and termination payments. More »