Chris Shelley

Special Counsel

Melbourne, Australia

Chris is a Special Counsel in the Employee Relations & Safety team, specialising in workplace relations and employment law. Chris advises on the full spectrum of employment matters including business-critical investigations and disputes, diversity and policy initiatives, whistleblower claims, contracts and restrictive covenants, equity compensation, confidentiality breaches and cross-border matters.

Chris has extensive expertise navigating complex employment issues within the highly regulated financial services sector, drawing from his tenure at a leading global investment bank.

Chris has worked with clients in private capital, technology, industrials, engineering, consumer and retail, mining and resources, aviation and professional services.

With a background in both private practice and in-house roles in Hong Kong and Australia, Chris brings a substantial breadth of employment expertise specifically tailored to the Asia-Pacific region. His deep understanding of the region's unique legal landscape equips him to help clients handle the complexities of this diverse area.

Before joining KWM, Chris worked in-house at Goldman Sachs as an Executive Director & Senior Employment Counsel.

Chris’ experience includes:

  • complex investigations into regulatory obligation breaches, bullying, harassment, misconduct, and whistleblower complaints (and post-investigation rectification and reform)
  • representation of employers in proceedings before the Fair Work Commission, Federal Court of Australia, and state administrative tribunals
  • advice to boards and leadership teams on compliance with local laws and industry-specific licensing and regulatory obligations
  • advice on employee terminations (individual and collective), disciplinary matters, compensation and privacy
  • post-employment restrictive covenants, including implementation reviews, drafting, and enforcement
  • industrial relations matters including enterprise bargaining, industrial action proceedings, and enterprise agreement interpretation advice
  • global and regional diversity initiatives, including policies and procedures around equal employment opportunity/sexual harassment, parental leave, and enhanced benefits.

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