Slater & Gordon

Slater & Gordon, founded in Melbourne in 1935 by William Slater & Hugh Gordon, is an Australian plaintiff law firm employing more than 600 people in over 25 office locations across Australia.

Slater & Gordon’s practice areas include: asbestos diseases litigation, workers compensation, motor vehicle accident compensation, medical negligence, public liability litigation, Commonwealth compensation (Comcare), industrial relations and employment law, wills probate and estate litigation, business advisory services and commercial litigation. The firm also conducts class actions, typically product liability actions or commercial actions on behalf of investors who have suffered financial loss.

Over the years Slater & Gordon has handled some of the most complex and widely publicised cases in Australia. These include representing hundreds of asbestos miners at the Wittenoom mine in Western Australia; In 2000, the company lodged a writ in the Victorian Supreme Court against Broken Hill Proprietary Company (BHP) on behalf of traditional owners in Papua New Guinea over the collapse of a tailings dam led to waste from the Ok Tedi Mine polluting the Ok Tedi and Fly Rivers in 1984. BHP had settled claims with 30,000 other landowners in the Ok Tedi region. ref|bhp Other cases are representing victims of medically acquired HIV from contaminated blood supplies; and women suffering health problems due to faulty IUDs and breast implants.

In December 2005, the firm successfully negotiated a settlement with James Hardie worth $4.5 billion on behalf of unions and people suffering from asbestosis, mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases as a result of exposure to asbestos while working for the company. ref|asbestos

In 2006, Slater & Gordon launched a class action against Telstra on behalf of shareholders for allegedly failing to properly reveal its financial position.ref|telstra Later in January, the company stated that it was considering action against Multiplex over losses caused by the Wembley Stadium reconstruction. ref|multiplex

The firm has completed acquisitions of a number of other law firms - Reid & Reid Solicitors, Maurice May Lawyers, Gary Robb & Associates, Geoffrey Edwards & Co, Paul Keady & Associates, Blessington Judd and Richards Lawyers in 2003. More recently Slater & Gordon has merged with D’Arcys Solicitors, McClellands Lawyers and Secombs Solicitors.

In May 2007 Slater & Gordon Limited became one of the first law firms in the world to go public.ref|ipo The board of directors at Slater & Gordon Limited comprises; the chair Anna Booth, deputy chair and executive director Peter Gordon , managing director Andrew Grech, executive director Ken Fowlie and non-executive director Ian Court.

References

* [http://www.slatergordon.com.au Slater & Gordon website]

* [http://www.linkedin.com/in/slatergordon View LinkedIn profile]

* [http://www.youtube.com/slatergordon S&G YouTube channel]

Notes

# Australian Associated Press (AAP), "Vic. businesses urged to join Longford class action" 29 June 1999, accessed through Macquarie.net, 31 January 2006
# AAP, "PNG landowners start legal action over Ok Tedi mine" 11 April 2000, accessed through Macquarie.net, 31 January 2006
# AAP, "James Hardie victim says deal too late" 1 December 2005, accessed through Macquarie.net, 31 January 2006
# 7 News, [http://seven.com.au/news/business/137144 "Telstra hit with $300 m class action"] 19 January 2006, accessed 31 January 2006
# "The Age Online", [http://www.theage.com.au/news/Business/Multiplex-shareholders-disappointed/2006/01/31/1138590475543.html Multiplex shareholders "disappointed"] , 31 January 2006, accessed same date.
# "The Legal Times", [http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1179751700602 In a First, Law Firm Goes Public] , 22 May 2007, accessed 7 December 2007.

Further reading

* Michael Cannon, "That Disreputable Firm: the Inside Story of Slater & Gordon", Melbourne University Press, Carlton South Victoria ISBN 0-522-84787-0