Catherine Symons

Name: Catherine Symons

Qualifications: BA(Hons), LLB(Hons) and LLM

Title: Barrister

Organisation: Castan Chambers

State: Victoria

Immediation Practice Area: Mediation, Expert Determination

Profile

I am a Barrister at the Victorian Bar. At the  Bar, my practice is focused on employment, discrimination and administrative  law. In my practice, I have had the opportunity to represent a number of  employers and employees in a range of employment, occupational health and  safety and industrial matters. I am also regularly briefed to advise and  appear on behalf of government authorities. In addition to my court  appearance work, I have also assisted clients with matters relating to trade  practices, discrimination, franchise disputes, bankruptcy proceedings,  contractual disputes and a range of employment matters such as construction  of restraints of trade, redundancies, adverse action and unlawful and unfair  dismissals.

I have obtained a Masters of Law, specialising  in workplace relations and I am the Senior Vice President of the Industrial  Bar Association. In 2008, I was awarded the Justice Pagone Prize for Tax  Dispute and Written Advocacy.

I was listed in the Labour and Employment Law category  of Best Lawyers in Australia for 2017, 2018 and 2019.

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Personal Comment

I  really enjoy mediation because it creates the environment and opportunity to  achieve a pragmatic, timely and cost-effective outcome whilst preserving to  the greatest extent, the relationships that underpin the dispute.

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Immediation Area(s) of Expertise

Employment, industrial relations and  discrimination (Discrimination, Employment, Equal opportunity), Government  and administrative law (Commonwealth employment, Freedom of Information  (FOI), Immigration, Judicial review and merits review, Public administration  and governance, Statutory interpretation)