Dogu Yesildag

Expertise

Dogu is a Senior Associate in our Workplace Relations & Safety team, advising employers and senior executives on a broad range of workplace relations, employment and safety matters.

He acts across the full spectrum of workplace relations, including enterprise bargaining, intractable bargaining and industrial action matters, as well as Fair Work litigation, restraint disputes, workplace investigations, employment contracts and day-to-day employment law advisory work. He also advises senior executives on contract negotiations, investigations and workplace disputes.

Dogu has experience representing clients in State and Federal courts and tribunals and regularly works with leading barristers to deliver practical, commercially focused outcomes. He combines his litigation experience with strategic advisory capability to assist clients in managing complex disputes and sensitive workplace issues.

He provides ongoing advice to employers navigating operational change and the evolving employment law landscape, with a focus on practical and defensible solutions aligned with each client's objectives.

Dogu is also actively involved in the firm's use of emerging legal technology, including artificial intelligence (AI) and large language model (LLM) tools. He has contributed to the adoption of systems and processes that support more efficient and innovative legal service delivery. With a strong interest in the legal, practical and governance considerations associated with AI, he helps employers understand and respond to the risks and opportunities presented by emerging technologies in the workplace.

Experience

Dogu's experience includes:

• obtaining an interim injunction in the Supreme Court of Victoria against a former employee accused of misappropriating confidential information on behalf of an employer
• successfully defending an appeal in the Federal Court of Australia on behalf of an employer
• advising on and representing employers in protected action ballot order (PABO) and section 240 applications
• successfully defending a general protections claim in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia on behalf of an employer
• representing clients in Fair Work Commission conciliation conferences and negotiating workplace disputes
• defending third-party liability claims under workers' compensation legislation on behalf of employers
• advising on enterprise bargaining processes and drafting enterprise agreements for employers
• advising on large-scale workplace restructures and redundancies.

Membership

Member, Industrial Relations Society of Victoria