Maurice Blackburn (law firm)

Maurice Blackburn
HeadquartersMelbourne, Australia
No. of offices30[1]
No. of employees1,000+
Key peopleSteve Bracks (Chairman)[2]
Jacob Varghese (CEO)
RevenueDecrease AUD$254.1 million (2024)[3]
Date founded1919
FounderMaurice Blackburn
Company typeLimited liability partnership
Websitehttp://www.mauriceblackburn.com.au

Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, (formerly Maurice Blackburn & Co and Maurice Blackburn Cashman), was founded in 1919 by Maurice Blackburn.[1] 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;[4]
  • 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;[5]
  • 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.[6]

Current notable staff

Former notable staff

References

  1. ^ a b "About Maurice Blackburn Lawyers". mauriceblackburn.com.au. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
  2. ^ "Steve Bracks | Chairperson, Maurice Blackburn".
  3. ^ "Maurice Blackburn Pty Limited". IbisWorld. Retrieved 30 October 2024.
  4. ^ "Court approves Centro's $200m class-action settlement". The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 June 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  5. ^ "Mohammed Haneef sues ex-immigration minister Kevin Andrews for defamation". NewsComAu. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  6. ^ "Landmark High Court ruling on BRCA1 gene patent as pensioner wins legal case". The Sydney Morning Herald. 7 October 2015. Retrieved 1 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Former Labor minister John Button dies". The Age. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Former rival is new Herbert Geer MP". Lawyers Weekly. 24 August 2012. Retrieved 25 March 2016.
  9. ^ "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.