Sam Hayward

Expertise

Sam is a senior associate in the Firm’s Workplace Relations and Safety department. He has significant experience in advisory and contentious matters traversing employment, discrimination, and electoral law. Sam has expertise in contractual disputes, restraints, unfair dismissal and general protections applications, and discrimination claims.

Sam regularly assists senior employees and executives to navigate complex problems arising in the workplace, including by developing and executing exit strategies. He also assists clients with disciplinary investigations.

While Sam principally represents employees, he also acts for several incorporated and unincorporated associations and assists them with governance, employment, and litigation matters.  

Experience

Sam’s experience includes:

• representing health workers in a complex enterprise agreement classification dispute
• advising and appearing in unfair dismissal and general protections applications in the Fair Work Commission
• advising on, and appearing in, discrimination complaints to the Australian Human Rights Commission
• representing clients in general protections applications in the Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia
• representing clients in discrimination applications in the Federal Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia
• obtaining multiple six-figure settlements for employees in disputes with their employers
• obtaining a seven-figure settlement for a client in a shareholder oppression and breach of contract dispute
• successfully defending an association in proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria, the Victorian Court of Appeal, and the High Court of Australia.