Sophia Herd

Sophia's practice spans contentious, transactional and advisory employment matters across all areas of employment and industrial relations law. She has particular experience advising on workplace disputes and litigation, enterprise bargaining, workforce restructures and redundancies, executive and senior employee separations, employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, and cross-border employment issues.

Sophia regularly advises Australian and multinational employers across a broad range of industries, including technology, energy and resources, manufacturing, retail, professional services and financial services.

Prior to joining the Firm, Sophia handled the following matters:

• Advised on the Australian employment aspects of a number of domestic and cross-border M&A transactions, including leading employment due diligence, identifying employment-related transaction risks, preparing due diligence reports and advising on post-completion integration issues.
• Advised international and local employers on complex workforce restructures, business reorganisations and redundancies, including consultation obligations, redeployment considerations, transfer of business issues and executive separations.
• Acted for employers in enterprise bargaining matters, including advising on proposed enterprise agreements, employee voting processes, Fair Work Commission approval applications and industrial relations strategy.
• Advised an employer on critical industrial issues arising from the Sydney rail network shutdown in 2024, including strategic advice on industrial relations risks, workforce management issues and the operational impacts of industrial action on a major Australian business.
• Defended employers in Fair Work Commission proceedings, including general protections, unfair dismissals, and discrimination claims involving allegations of adverse action, workplace bullying and unlawful workplace conduct.
• Acted for employers in relation to high-profile executive and senior employee separations, including advising on termination strategy, contractual entitlements, incentive arrangements, post-employment restraints and deed negotiations.
• Advised employers on employee management issues, including ill and injured workers, fitness for work concerns, performance management, disciplinary processes and negotiated separations.

• Industrial Relations Society Victoria
• Victorian Women Lawyers

• BakerWomen – Deputy Chair
• Social Committee – Committee Member