Madeleine Boyd

SENIOR ASSOCIATE & TEAM LEADER

Madeleine is a highly accomplished employment and industrial relations lawyer, known for her strategic legal insight and calm, solution-focused approach to complex workplace issues. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of International Studies (French major) from Macquarie University and was admitted as a solicitor in 2014.

Madeleine began her legal career at one of the Big Four accounting firms, advising multinational corporations on employment taxes and expatriate tax compliance. In 2017, she moved to the United Kingdom, gaining valuable in-house experience with both the National Health Service and the Royal Bank of Scotland. This international perspective strengthened her ability to manage legal risk in large, highly regulated environments.

Since joining Harmers Workplace Lawyers, Madeleine has progressed to the role of Senior Associate and Team Leader. She provides commercially sound, practical advice across the full spectrum of workplace law, acting for a broad client base including ASX-listed companies, financial services providers, not-for-profit organisations, and high-net-worth individuals.

Her expertise includes:

• Day-to-day employment matters including redundancies, performance management, absenteeism, and terminations
• General protections (adverse action), restraint of trade, and breach of contract litigation
• Workplace investigations
• Sexual harassment, bullying, and discrimination claims
• Work Health and Safety (WHS) advice and prosecutions
• Employment contract and workplace policy reviews
• Interpretation of Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements
• Underpayment investigations and compliance audits involving the Fair Work Ombudsman
• Strategic board-level advice on executive performance and governance issues.

Representative matters include:

• Successfully defending a multinational crane manufacturer in a WHS prosecution, leading to the withdrawal of the claim shortly before trial, and securing the highest costs award in that jurisdiction
• Representing a Seven Eleven franchisee in a major underpayment claim before the Federal Circuit Court, including conducting a detailed compliance audit
• Conducting a sensitive workplace investigation for a national not-for-profit following a suicide linked to allegations of bullying and discrimination
• Securing an Anton Piller order for a major financial services company, enabling the recovery of evidence from a former employee
• Advising Boards and executives, including in relation to CEO misconduct, Corporations Act compliance, and the application of historical award coverage
• Acting in numerous general protections claims, and discrimination matters before the Fair Work Commission, Australian Human Rights Commission, Federal Circuit Court, and Supreme Court of NSW.

Madeleine is a trusted advisor to her clients, valued for her ability to provide clear, strategic guidance on both contentious and non-contentious employment issues. She brings not only technical excellence but also a deep understanding of the human and commercial dynamics at play in every matter she handles.