Understand this area of law
Employment-law enquiries may come from employees or employers and can concern contracts, pay, performance, dismissal, discrimination, safety or workplace investigations. Identify your role, the decision or event involved and the stage reached. Keep names, allegations and confidential workplace material out of lawyer searches.
Define the work before comparing firms
Ask whether the firm acts for employees, employers or both, and whether it handles the particular forum or process. Advice on a document, negotiation and representation are different scopes of work. Some applications have short time limits, so communicate dates shown on letters or notices promptly and do not assume general online information preserves a right.
Prepare a safer, more useful first enquiry
Prepare a chronology and list the contract, policy, correspondence and formal decisions you hold. Before sending material, check the recipient and ask about conflicts and secure delivery. Confirm who will do the work, the first deliverable, cost assumptions and whether an external consultant, barrister or other adviser may be needed.
Work that may sit within this category
Use these examples to describe the enquiry, not to diagnose the legal issue or assume that every law firm performs the work.
- Contract, pay, performance or disciplinary questions
- Dismissal, redundancy or workplace investigation
- Discrimination, harassment or adverse-action concerns
- Employer advice about policies, processes or workforce changes
Information to organise before making contact
- The employment contract, relevant policy and formal decision
- A chronology of meetings, correspondence and stated dates
- The outcome or immediate workplace decision requiring advice
Some workplace applications have short filing periods. Supply the date and wording of any dismissal or formal notice immediately to the lawyer.
Take to the conversation
Three questions for a lawyer
- Does the law firm act for someone in my role and handle this type of workplace issue?
- Is there a date that needs immediate attention before the scope is agreed?
- Would the first stage be advice, correspondence, negotiation or representation?
Official background
Fair Work Ombudsman: legal help ↗Source checked 25 September 2026. It provides general background within its own scope; it does not select a lawyer or assess your circumstances.