- Maurice Blackburn (law firm)
-
Portrait of Maurice Blacburn in 1942.
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers was founded in 1919 by distinguished lawyer Maurice Blackburn, who was also a Labor member of the Victorian and Federal parliaments. Maurice Blackburn the man is remembered for his dedication to workers' rights and his defence of underprivileged groups and civil liberties, including equal rights for women and Indigenous people.
The law firm Maurice Blackburn continues the principles of its founder, fighting for fair outcomes for people who have been injured or badly treated through the actions or inactions of others. The firm specialises in cases involving compensation for workplace and road accident injuries, medical negligence, asbestos diseases, public liability, employment and industrial issues, and superannuation and insurance claims.
Maurice Blackburn is one of Australia's leading labor law firms and it has acted in many high profile disputes, including acting for the Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) in its 1998 landmark dispute against Patrick Stevedores. Other landmark cases include fighting for the 40-hour week, equal pay for women, equality for Aboriginal workers, and seeking compensation for Dr Mohamed Haneef after his wrongful detention by the Australian Government.
It’s Social Justice Practice often represents people who would not normally have access to the legal system in cases that have an impact on the broader community. These include:
- representing Indigenous elders in a dispute over the proposed location of Australia’s first nuclear waste dump at Muckaty Station in the Northern Territory
- women’s rights to access scientific information about the breast cancer gene that is currently held in a patent
- asylum seekers’ access to information on them held by the Australian Government
- the successful challenge in the High Court to prove the charitable status of Aid/Watch, which in turn clarified the status of hundreds of charities in Australia for tax purposes.
Maurice Blackburn also has an extensive team of lawyers with an unrivalled record of successful class actions in Australia. The firm has acted for groups, individuals, shareholders and businesses who have suffered loss due to illegal corporate behaviour. Significant class action wins have been against Esso, GIO, AWB and Amcor-Visy. Maurice Blackburn is currently running Australia’s largest group action against 12 banks for unfair fees. It is also running class actions against DuPuy for faulty hip and knee implants, Bonsoy over elevated iodine levels, and against Singapore Power and various Victorian Government departments over the Kilmore East-Kinglake ‘Black Saturday’ bushfire on 7 February 2009.
Maurice Blackburn Commercial was established in early 2006 with the aim of providing for the commercial needs of clients in the union and corporate sectors.
External links
Categories:- Law firms of Australia
- Australian labour movement
- Law firms established in 1919
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
