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| Headquarters | Melbourne, Australia |
|---|---|
| No. of offices | 30 |
| No. of employees | 1,000+ |
| Key people | Steve Bracks (Chairman) Jacob Varghese (CEO) |
| Revenue |  AUD$254.1 million (2024) |
| 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. 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 Australian legal history;
- 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;
- 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.
Current notable staff
Former notable staff
- Maurice McRae Blackburn, Firm Founder, Former Labor MP and Former Independent Labor MP
- James Burke, former Northern Territory politician
- Terri Butler, Federal Labor MP
- John Button, Former Labor Senator for Victoria
- John Cain, Former Victorian Government Solicitor
- Enver Erdogan, Victorian politician
- Nita Green, Senator for Queensland
- Justice Bernard Murphy, Justice of the Federal Court of Australia
- Nicholas Reece, Lord Mayor of Melbourne
- Nicola Roxon, Former Commonwealth Attorney-General and Federal Labor MP
- Bill Shorten, Federal Labor MP and Minister
- Bill Slater, politician and founder of the law firm Slater and Gordon Lawyers.
- Murray Watt, Labor Senator and Former Queensland Labor MP
- Anika Wells, Federal Labor MP
References
- ^ "About Maurice Blackburn Lawyers". mauriceblackburn.com.au. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- "Steve Bracks | Chairperson, Maurice Blackburn".
- "Maurice Blackburn Pty Limited". IbisWorld. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
- "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.
- "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.
- "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.