Employer Representation

Sonia enjoys tackling complex dispute resolution challenges to achieve the best outcomes for her clients, using an interest-based approach.Sonia has acted for a range of employer clients spanning various industries. During her time as a legal counsel at labour hire and recruitment company, Hays Specialist Recruitment, she has been involved in representing and assisting the company in various disputes including bargaining for an enterprise agreement for black coal mining companies.Some of Sonia’s work on employer-related matters include:Assisting and representing employers with industrial issues – she recently represented an employer in relation to a transfer of an industrial instrument;Supporting and representing employers in various workplace claims – she has represented many employers to defend against unfair dismissal claims, general protections, harassment, bullying and discrimination claims;Supporting various employers with amicable separations with employees, including managing difficult conversations and situations, reducing risk and liability of future claims and workplace disputes; andAdvising employer clients on the importance of workplace policies and contracts, including preparing various employment contracts and workplace policies.

Employee Representation

Sonia has extensive experience acting for employees in a range of industries, including members of unions such as the Australian and International Pilots Association.Some of Sonia’s notable achievements have been negotiating enterprise agreements on behalf of pilots employed by the Qantas Group.Sonia particularly specialises in assisting employees who experience difficulties in their workplace including: Supporting female clients dispute their unfavourable and discriminatory treatment – she has represented many employees who were made redundant or were treated unfavourably when returning from parental leave;Representing employees at all levels of seniority, negotiate amicable separations from their employers, ensuring entitlements are secured and any additional components of compensation, where applicable; andRepresenting employees achieve the best outcome possible in workplace disputes, including unfair dismissal, general protections, bullying and discrimination claims.

Sonia prides herself on being down-to-earth, logical, and honest in her work, and seeks to be as upfront as possible with her clients while maintaining her approachability and empathy.In addition to her work in litigation and non-litigation matters, Sonia is involved in mentoring and developing the skills of other solicitors, both within and external to the firm. Sonia is passionate about supporting diverse people, including women of colour and volunteers for an organisation specialising in this, Diverse Women in Law.Sonia believes the importance of representation – you can’t be what you can’t see – and aspires every day to be a good role model and leader to her peers and the legal community more broadly.

Kevin’s employer-side focus is on assisting small to medium enterprises in growing their business with everything from crisis response to long term employment relationship management.He assists clients with adopting employer-agile frameworks to build employment culture systems, and also lead employer training programs to bolster in-house capabilities.Additionally, he advises on prevention as well as intervention in matters of bullying, discrimination, and dismissals.Although he runs all kinds of client matters, his pervious life interests in public service and healthcare have resulted in his particular focus in assisting third party human resources providers, aged care institutions, technology start-ups, and allied health care providers.His efforts have contributed to the DKL team being recognised as the Workplace Relations and Employment Team of the Year by the Australian Law Awards for two consecutive years.

Employee Representation

Kevin’s employee practice has a particular focus on assisting senior executives enforcing their rights against public financial corporations, state-owned enterprises, universities, government entities, and major corporations in the banking and technology industry. His leadership has led to DKL to be recognised by the esteemed Doyle’s Guide in the categories of Employment Law Firm (Employee and Trade Union Representation) on the National and NSW lists since 2016.

Kevin’s philosophy and approach to his work is heavily influenced by his experience as a university educator at Macquarie University and the University of New South Wales. Kevin is also a regular speaker at various CPD events, with some of his recent events being as chairs or presenters at various Thomson Reuters and Legalwise symposiums on employment law. He is regularly asked to speak on the intersection of employment law and mental health in the workplace, as well as bullying.

Kevin takes a community-oriented approach to practicing law and running the firm. He is an advocate for cultivating a people-centric culture which he believes is essential for empowering individual team members and delivering enhanced outcomes for clients. Additionally, Kevin sees employment law as an opportunity to proactively build corporate social responsibility levels across the community more broadly. His legal practice continues in a lifelong dedication to commerce and community, drawing upon the inspirations of his time as a small business owner, a card-carrying healthcare advocate, and passion for health and fitness. He shares in his successes with his wife, their daughter, and two cats.

Employer Representation

Danny serves as a trusted advisor to some of Australia’s most exciting and innovative companies, assisting them with developing policies and procedures to mitigate risk whilst ensuring they are well-positioned to achieve their ambitions. Some of her work for employers includes: Assisting with difficult separations, where the departing employee continues to be a valued stakeholder in the business, notwithstanding their termination or separation; Considering structuring and skills to better gear businesses to achieve their objectives, with careful development of communications to bring along a change-resistant team into a ‘new normal’; Assisting great teams to have even better attitudes towards shifting cultural norms; Designing solutions to assist workplaces struggling with individuals who do not align with company values, but are otherwise excellent at performing their roles; Navigating the confrontational and often emotional circumstances of poor employee performance or conduct; and Combatting applicant lawyer ‘shake downs’ when the employer has done nothing wrong.

Employee Representation

Danny’s expertise and extensive experience in employee representation positions her as a highly sought-after and desirable adviser for the c-suite and senior executives who may be navigating challenging workplace situations.She particularly specialises in assisting senior executives to play the role of ‘corporate survivor’. Some of Danny’s favourite matters of recent years include:Covertly assisting a partner in a top four accounting firm navigate the tricky politics of partnership renegotiations;Workshopping solutions with a partner of a top-tier law firm about overcoming unconscious bias getting in the way of her career trajectory;Supporting many incredible and powerful women to enhance the terms of their contracts to reflect what they would have been offered in the absence of unconscious bias;Working with a CEO of a major Australian company to navigate a difficult separation;Representing a CFO of a major Australian company through very public allegations of a damaging nature and separation terms;Creating opportunities to separate and leverage to deploy in negotiations around terms for various executives where the employer had previously no intention of discussing separation terms; andHelping numerous executives who were the subject of bullying allegations to not only manage the initial shock of confrontation and provide a response to allegations, but to successfully navigate the difficult context that comes from being named a bully, even when fully exonerated, noting that not all circumstances require a negotiation of the employment relationship ending.

As an accomplished educator who has taught in prestigious institutions professionally and while sharing knowledge with peers, Danny has enjoyed excellent feedback on her engaging and approachable style. She values the development of and investment in the future of employment law. Some of her educational achievements include:Wrote, convened, and taught the employment law course for under and post-graduate students at the University of New South Wales between 2012 – 2019;Wrote and updated the employment law course for post-graduate students in the College of Law’s Masters of Law program;Delivered the teaching of that course continuously, with up to three sessions a year, since 2017; andInnumerable conference presentations on employment law topics, including mental health in the workplace, achieving age diversity in a modern context, exposures legal and HR practitioners have to accessorial liability under the Fair Work Act, and diversity in the law.

Danny believes the needs of the human are paramount. Her philosophy is to hold nothing back and build the absolute best version of everyone in the firm. Danny is non-judgemental in her approach and retains a well-respected and objective outlook on all matters, priding herself on being the woman you can turn to, even in the face of the most difficult allegations. She is known to use the Ricky Gervais line: ‘crisistunity’, and people who have worked with Danny have first-hand experience witnessing her exceptional abilities in finding opportunities during a crisis. Danny delights in the antics of her two young children, playing cards with her enormous family, and dabbling in creative endeavours.

General Insights Archives - Danny King Legal

Connecting with purpose at SXSW Austin, Texas March 2024

By Danny King and Sonia Chandra In what feels like a forever ago, we were fortunate to get the opportunity and time to attend South by Southwest (SXSW) event in Austin, Texas. For those who are not aware of SXSW, it is a global conference for professionals that’s become an iconic event since its founding […]

Changing legislation and your contracts: Critical facts you need to know

On 6 December 2023, the government announced changes to fixed-term contracts affecting all employers. Since then, two further legislative changes to the Fair Work Act have come into play that will impact your current and future employment contracts: Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes) Act 2023 commencing variably from 14 December 2023, and Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Act 2023 commencing variably from 30 June 2023. […]

Danny King Legal: The Firm that gave me a voice on The Voice

The First Nations Voice to Parliament (The Voice) is not only significant due to its constitutional implications, but also because it is the only Australian referendum to be held in the 21st Century. Since the last referendum in 1999, the makeup of the Australian public has changed significantly, along with the way in which we consume information. […]

Ensuring flexibility and equality: Fair Work Act updates

On 22 June 2023, the Australian Government passed the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Protecting Worker Entitlements) Act 2023 (the Act). The Act, amongst other things, introduces several changes to provide stronger access to unpaid parental leave (UPL) under the Fair Work Act 2009 (the FW Act). Said changes took effect on 1 July 2023. UPL is an entitlement under the National […]

Fixed-Term Contracts: What You Need to Know

On 2 December 2022, the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Act 2022 was passed by the Federal Parliament, bringing significant changes to the federal employment law system. These changes, effective from 6 December 2023, cover a wide range of legislative provisions. When it comes to fixed-term contracts, it is crucial for both employers and […]

An employer’s (simple) guide to workplace investigations

Understanding your obligations when conducting workplace investigations can save you a lot of hassle and pain in the long run. Workplace investigations sound simple and straightforward – an issue arises, you speak to the people involved to get to the ‘bottom of it’, and then you make a decision as to the outcome(s). Unfortunately, in […]

Navigating Mental Health Concerns During Termination Processes

Data shows us that over 4.6% of Australians live with some form of psychosocial disability. That’s more than 1.1 million people – and some of them could be working for you. From neurodivergence, to mental illness and psychosocial disability, mental health risks are serious and on the rise. This underscores the importance of maintaining a […]

End-of-employment crossroads: Why redundancy may not be the best answer

Workplace relationships can be complex and dynamic. They change naturally over time as perspectives and people’s circumstances evolve. They can also be emotionally charged, and whether you are an employer or an employee, this is often particularly evident when navigating end-of-employment.However, as humans, we’ve been hard-wired to fear this transition. It tends to invoke feelings […]

The role of Djäkamirr in redesigning First Nations women’s maternity care services

Over the last few months, DKL’s Principal, Danny King, has been closely involved in a new initiative to re-establish traditional maternity services for Yolŋu mothers and babies living in Galiwin’ku, Arnhem Land. Specifically, the project seeks to develop a working model to provide Djäkamirr (First Nations doulas) to enable ‘Birthing on Country’ and continuous support […]

The impact of balanced paid parental leave policies might not be what you think

As a partner of a firm specialising in employment law, part of my mandate is to push best-practice workplace policies and their benefits in-house, here at DKL. That means we need to lead by example, constantly iterating and turning all the industry talk of work-life balance, resilience and equal opportunity into a practical reality for […]