Maurice Blackburn (law firm)
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| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 30[1] |
| No. of employees | 1,000+ |
| Key people | Steve Bracks (Chairman)[2] Jacob Varghese (CEO) |
| Date founded | 1919 |
| Founder | Maurice Blackburn |
| Company type | Limited liability partnership |
| Website | http://www.mauriceblackburn.com.au |
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, (formerly Maurice Blackburn & Co and Maurice Blackburn Cashman), was founded in 1919 by Maurice Blackburn.[1] The firm is an Australian plaintiff law firm, having represented clients in a number of high-profile cases since its establishment.
Major cases
Since its establishment Maurice Blackburn Lawyers have acted in a number of cases, including:
- The 40-Hour Working Week Case - in conjunction with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Maurice Blackburn fought for shorter working hours;
- MUA Waterfront Dispute Case - represented maritime workers against the Commonwealth Government during the waterfront dispute in 1998;
- The GIO Class Action - the first shareholder class action win in Australian legal history;
- Centro Class Action - the biggest shareholder class action settlement in legal history;[3]
- Black Saturday bushfires Class Actions - collectively the largest class action settlement in Australian history at $794 million ($494 million in the Kinglake class action and $300 million in the Marysville class action);
- Mohammed Haneef Case - defended Dr. Haneef against false charges of terrorism in 2010 and later acted on his behalf in a defamation matter;[4]
- The Gene Patent BRCA1 Case - a ruling that saw the High Court rule that a mutated gene that causes cancer cannot be subject to a patent under Australian law.[5]
Former staff
- Maurice McRae Blackburn, Firm Founder, Former Labor MP and Former Independent Labor MP
- Bill Shorten, Opposition Leader and Federal Labor MP
- Nicola Roxon, Former Commonwealth Attorney-General and Federal Labor MP
- Terri Butler, Federal Labor MP
- Anika Wells, Federal Labor MP
- Peter Cashman, Barrister and Academic at the University of Sydney
- Eugene Arocca
- Bill Slater, Australian politician and founder of the law firm Slater and Gordon Lawyers.
- Murray Watt, Australian Labor Senator and Former Queensland Labor MP
- Justice Bernard Murphy, Justice of the Federal Court of Australia[6]
- John Button, Former Labor Senator for Victoria[7]
- John Cain, Former Victorian Government Solicitor[8]
References
- ^ a b "About Maurice Blackburn Lawyers". mauriceblackburn.com.au. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ "Steve Bracks | Chairperson, Maurice Blackburn".
- ^ "Court approves Centro's $200m class-action settlement". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ^ "Mohammed Haneef sues ex-immigration minister Kevin Andrews for defamation". NewsComAu. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ^ "Landmark High Court ruling on BRCA1 gene patent as pensioner wins legal case". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
- ^ "Transcript of Proceedings: Federal Court of Australia Ceremonial Sitting of the Full Court for the Swearing in and Welcome of the Honourable Justice Murphy". fedcourt.gov.au. Federal Court of Australia. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ "Former Labor minister John Button dies". The Age. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
- ^ "Former rival is new Herbert Geer MP". Lawyers Weekly. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016.