Can Law Group is a boutique Australian legal practice specialising in employment law and estate planning. Years on the frontline shape how we listen, how we advise, and how we stand beside you when it matters most.
Boutique Australian legal advice. Clear, practical and on your side from the first call.
Michael is a highly experienced solicitor who specialises in Employment Law and Wills & Estates. He was previously a solicitor at Australia’s largest provider of employment relations services.
For employment law, Michael works with employers and employees across countless professions and industries. He’s engaged for his pragmatic approach — weighing his clients’ goals, how to achieve them, and the practical realities beyond just the applicable law. That’s how he’s built a strong record of resolving disputes early or avoiding them entirely, keeping costs down for clients.
For wills and estates, Michael helps individuals prepare wills, powers of attorney and enduring guardianship documents, and assists executors and next-of-kin through grants of probate and letters of administration.
Years of frontline practice across Employment Law and Wills & Estates, including time at Australia’s largest provider of employment relations services means deep, practical, and tailored legal solutions.
We offer fixed fees for most services. If the circumstances require hourly rates, we will let you know. We are upfront regarding fees ensuring there are no surprises.
The client experience is at the forefront of our service. We are honest about odds and outcomes, provide clear communication, timely service, and tailored solutions. We ensure service is a priority.
A business in the food catering industry engaged us to conduct an independent workplace investigation regarding a sexual harassment complaint they received from an employee.
We delivered a clear, defensible process, and helped implement measures to strengthen workplace policies, enhance compliance with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Cth), and reduce the risk of future harassment or other misconduct.
We assisted a startup by preparing tailored employment contracts and independent contractor agreements. The agreements clearly set out each party’s rights and responsibilities while complying with Australian employment laws.
With clear compliant agreements in place, the startup could focus on growth knowing the contracts protected each party’s rights, reduced the risk of misclassification disputes, and supported scalability for long-term commercial success.
We represented an employee in the real estate industry after serious sexual harassment allegations involving physical touch led to a workplace investigation and disciplinary process that placed his employment at risk.
Our client did not touch nor sexually harass the complainant. The complaints made by the complainant were a fabrication. We provided strategic advice throughout the disciplinary process, ensuring our client was able to respond effectively to the allegations.
Following the investigation, the employer concluded the sexual harassment allegations were unsubstantiated and took no disciplinary action against our client’s employment. Resultantly, our client retained their employment and protected their reputation in the process.
We represented an employee in the software industry after his former employer sent him correspondence threatening to pursue enforcement of a non-compete clause that would have prevented him from commencing a new role.
After assessing the enforceability of the restraint, we liaised with the former employer and presented our client’s position.
Through strategic negotiations, the former employer agreed not to pursue enforcement of the non-compete clause. This allowed our client to commence employment in his new role with confidence, and without the worry of being pursued by his former employer.
We represented an employee in the construction industry whose position was made redundant. Upon his employment ending, his employer did not pay the owed redundancy pay or the balance of his unused annual leave.
We issued a letter of demand to the employer setting out these owed entitlements. After some discussions with the employer, we successfully recovered these owed entitlements for our client.
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We represented an employee in the healthcare industry throughout a redundancy process, providing clear advice on his legal rights and entitlements.
We ensured the process was performed in accordance with the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and the applicable award, reviewed the redundancy proposal, and negotiated it with the employer.
We helped him approach the process with confidence, secured him an outcome beyond the minimum entitlements, and helped him smoothly transition out of the business with peace of mind.
A growing plumbing business sought advice after identifying potential compliance issues with modern award coverage and classifications.
We conducted a comprehensive employee entitlements review, recommended practical changes, and assisted with updating employment contracts and payroll practices. We helped the business improve compliance under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and minimise exposure to employee entitlements claims.
Advised an information technology company on disciplinary procedures and termination for four staff who were engaging in repeated misconduct.
Terminating these employees improved the morale and productivity of the other employees, and created room for higher performing individuals to be employed.
Our client was employed in the finance industry. The employer subjected our client to a disciplinary process mistakenly alleging he had a criminal record which he had not disclosed.
The employer invited our client to respond to the allegation and informed him that termination of his employment was possible if it was substantiated and if he could not show cause.
Our client did not have any criminal record. We represented our client through the entire disciplinary process and clearly demonstrated to the employer that our client did not have any criminal record and stated that if they dismissed our client on the basis of it, we would advise him to commence either unfair dismissal or general protections proceedings in the Fair Work Commission.
The end result was that the employer could not substantiate the allegation, our client remained employed, and his reputation was protected in the process.
Our client was employed in the public sector. She was subjected to relentless bullying by a senior executive in the organisation for over two years which resulted in significant psychological harm.
She had medical certificates supporting this position. We advised our client on her rights, and represented her throughout the Industrial Relations Commission application for stop bullying order process.
The matter settled before a final hearing, with our client receiving significant financial compensation close to the maximum amount available in an application for stop bullying order.
Our client (the employee) was employed in the hospitality industry. After exercising her legal rights by raising grievances about workplace health and safety procedures and her pay rate to her employer, the employer immediately retaliated by placing her on a disingenuous performance improvement plan threatening termination if she did not improve.
In reality, the “performance issues” were never brought to our client’s attention until the grievances were made. We liaised with the employer explaining the performance improvement plan in our client’s circumstances constituted unlawful adverse action under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) and requested the performance improvement plan be stopped on this basis.
After some discussions with the employer, the employer stopped the performance improvement plan, properly investigated our client’s grievances, and our client remained in her job.
After 28 years with the same employer, our client (the employee) was suddenly dismissed following allegations of misconduct. Our client believed they had not been given a fair opportunity to respond to the allegations before their employment was terminated.
We carefully reviewed the employer’s disciplinary process and identified procedural shortcomings, the reasons for the dismissal themselves were also not strong enough to warrant a summary dismissal. We advised our client on his rights, represented him throughout the Fair Work Commission unfair dismissal process and negotiated with the employer.
The matter settled before a final hearing, with our client receiving significant financial compensation of 22 weeks’ pay (compensation cap in unfair dismissal is 26 weeks’ pay), and having the termination of their employment reclassified to a resignation to clear their reputation and support their future employment.
Advised a construction business that was undergoing organisational change and required advice and support for making six employees positions redundant.
We guided the business through the required redundancy processes under the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) including consulting with employees, helping to complete the restructure lawfully while reducing the risk of redundancy related disputes.
In the end, the restructure was successful, and none of the employees whose positions were made redundant filed claims in the Fair Work Commission.
We acted for a growing business who faced a general protections involving dismissal application following a complex performance management process.
We provided strategic advice, represented the business throughout the proceedings, and negotiated a commercial resolution that avoided a hearing. The matter was resolved efficiently, allowing the business to focus on its operations and continued growth.
