Annamarie Rooding is a Partner in the King & Wood Mallesons Employee Relations & Safety team, specialising in all areas of employment and workplace relations law. Annamarie advises clients in a diverse range of industries including financial services, retail and entertainment, mining and resources, IT, insurance, property and government.
Annamarie’s rare blend of private practice, significant in-house roles and complementary activities in ethical leadership, means her legal advice and guidance are enriched by lived experience and practical insights, invaluable for boards and senior management navigating through complex and sensitive people and conduct matters. Annamarie’s practice has particular emphasis on the legal and governance aspects of key employment and workplace conduct initiatives including contracts, policies, all aspects of effective ‘speak-up/listen-up’ grievance and whistleblower policies and programs. She also advises on the employment and IR implications of mergers, acquisitions and internal restructures including contract process, transfer of business, executive issues, redundancy risk and broader workforce transition issues.
Annamarie’s experience includes:
- advice in relation to public and private M&A transactions (buy-side and sell-side) and implications for employees, including considerations for transfer of employees and employee entitlements, restraint issues, drafting of offers and transaction documents and risk mitigation including in relation to redundancy and historical liability
- advising clients on their readiness to meet the requirements of the positive duty to prevent sexual harassment and related behaviours, including Board and Executive team training, conduct detailed gap analyses and policy and training reviews
- advising energy clients on the Security of Critical Infrastructure regime, and the industrial relations and labour hire implications for proposed new projects and winding up of existing projects
- all matters arising under the Fair Work Act 2009, including wage and entitlements compliance, general protections and legislative reforms
- drafting employment contracts and policies, including for senior executives
- complex workplace investigations including bullying, harassment and discrimination matters
- advising listed and other clients in a range of industries in relation to whistleblowing, including establishing policy and framework materials to align with regulatory guidance and market best practice, training, and handling complaints including complex investigations and dismissal of senior employees
- employee termination issues and strategy, including redundancy, unfair dismissal, adverse action, discrimination, breach of contract and application of the executive termination benefits limitations
- employment issues associated with corporate restructuring and transactions, including transfer of business and industrial relations implications
- independent contracting arrangements, labour hire licensing, vulnerable workers and minimum wages.
Annamarie was a General Counsel of the Sports & Media Entertainment Team of the Year at the 2019 Corporate Counsel Awards. Annamarie was also a finalist in the 2019 Women in Law Awards General Counsel of the Year. She is a pro-bono director of WEstjustice and a moderator with Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership.
