The ser­vice sec­tor con­sti­tutes the bulk of Australia’s econ­o­my, con­tribut­ing an esti­mat­ed 80% of val­ue added and 88% of employ­ment. A diverse sec­tor, encom­pass­ing clean­ing ser­vices to med­i­cine to account­ing and man­age­ment con­sult­ing which means dif­fer­ent ser­vice indus­tries oper­at­ing in very dif­fer­ent ways.

Growth in many ser­vice indus­tries (includ­ing finance, ICT and trans­port) has out­paced the goods sec­tor by a sig­nif­i­cant mar­gin over the past few decades. Our expe­ri­ence and deep exper­tise across this vast sec­tor helps set us apart in the mar­ket place.

We are renowned for our com­mer­cial legal exper­tise and indus­try knowl­edge, which means we can expert­ly guide our clients through each stage of their busi­ness cycle.

Our Team

Portrait photograph of James Skelton
James Skelton
Partner
Portrait photograph of Angela Harvey
Angela Harvey
Partner
Portrait photograph of Marc Baddams
Marc Baddams
Partner
Portrait photograph of Michael Treeby
Michael Treeby
Partner
Portrait photograph of Michael Hayter
Michael Hayter
Partner
Portrait photograph of Gerald Carides
Gerald Carides
Partner
Portrait photograph of Michael Byrnes
Michael Byrnes
Partner
Portrait photograph of Nick Dale
Nick Dale
Partner
Portrait photograph of Anna Sharpe
Anna Sharpe
Consultant
Portrait photograph of Esther Khoo
Esther Khoo
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of John Trinh
John Trinh
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of Jennifer Hold
Jennifer Hold
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of Nicholas Hufton
Nicholas Hufton
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of Kellie Van Munster
Kellie Van Munster
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of Daniel Miller
Daniel Miller
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Lynn Hawes
Lynn Hawes
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Rebecca Priem
Rebecca Priem
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Stevie-Lee Nobbs
Stevie-Lee Nobbs
Associate
Portrait photograph of William Clement
William Clement
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Kathryn Schultz
Kathryn Schultz
Associate
Portrait photograph of Hugo Mahony
Hugo Mahony
Associate*

We can assist you with all of your legal needs includ­ing struc­tur­ing your busi­ness, draft­ing con­tracts, pri­va­cy and data require­ments, pro­tect­ing your brand and intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty and buy­ing or sell­ing businesses.

Use­ful links:

No mat­ter how rou­tine or com­plex the busi­ness issues you face, Mer­i­tas’ net­work of law firms is with you every step of the way. Mar­ket-lead­ing firms offer a full range of legal ser­vices, which enable you to do busi­ness any­where. Wise coun­sel and prac­ti­cal solu­tions are just a phone call or e‑mail away. Dis­cov­er the breadth and depth of the prac­tice and indus­try sec­tor capa­bil­i­ties avail­able to you through Meritas.

Publications

Work­place Rela­tion­ships: The Legal Posi­tion (Cold­play Con­cert Edition)

The recent sto­ry of col­leagues (a Chief Exec­u­tive Offi­cer and Chief Peo­ple Offi­cer (CPO)) whose appar­ent rela­tion­ship was cap­tured on…

Dis­missal for Dissent?

The recent unfair dis­missal deci­sion of the Fair Work Com­mis­sion, Shaun Turn­er v Dare­bin City Coun­cil [2025] FWC 1763, in which Deputy…

Con­struc­tion con­tract time­frames and their inter­ac­tion with the NSW Secu­ri­ty of Pay­ment legislation.

Mark Glynn, Con­struc­tion Part­ner at Swaab con­sid­ers the recent deci­sion of Shar­vain Facades Pty Ltd (Admin­is­tra­tors Appoint­ed) v Roberts Co (NSW)…

In the News

Michael Byrnes appeared on Break­fast with Tim Web­ster on 2SM on 23 July 2025 to dis­cuss work­place rela­tion­ships and that Cold­play concert

Michael Byrnes appeared on Break­fast with Tim Web­ster on 2SM on 23 July 2025 to dis­cuss work­place rela­tion­ships and that…

Michael Byrnes is quot­ed in the arti­cle, ​“Cold­play con­tro­ver­sy expos­es HR vul­ner­a­bil­i­ty in lead­er­ship rela­tion­ships”, pub­lished in HR Leader on 23 July 2025

Michael Byrnes is quot­ed in the arti­cle, ​“Cold­play con­tro­ver­sy expos­es HR vul­ner­a­bil­i­ty in lead­er­ship rela­tion­ships”, pub­lished in HR Leader on…

Michael Byrnes’ arti­cle ​“7 com­mon ques­tions about work­place rela­tion­ships”, was pub­lished on HRM Online on 22 July 2025

Michael Byrnes’ arti­cle ​“7 com­mon ques­tions about work­place rela­tion­ships”, was pub­lished on HRM Online on 22 July 2025To read the full…