Zeb Holmes

SENIOR ASSOCIATE

Zeb graduated from the University of Sydney in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts; went on to complete a Masters in Journalism with a High Distinction average at UNSW in 2013; and then a Juris Doctor degree at the University of Sydney in 2016. From 2023, Zeb has been undertaking a part-time PhD at the UNSW Business School, with a thesis on the interaction of workplace culture and shared financial incentives on employee attitudes and behaviour.

During his JD, Zeb worked as a legal writer, providing regular criminal law and policy updates for Sydney Criminal Lawyers; and then preparing industrial and employment law case notes for The NSW Business Chamber.

Prior to joining Harmers, Zeb worked at a leading Australian insurance law firm before moving into employment law. Along with his experience at Harmers, Zeb has also worked for the Fair Work Ombudsman and a specialist workplace investigations firm, where he assisted government and large corporate clients. Zeb currently advises Consent Labs, a not-for-profit organisation providing consent and respectful relationship education in schools, on an as-needs basis, as their Head of Legal. As part of his PhD, Zeb also tutors the HR and pay and performance units at UNSW Business School.

Zeb works across all of the firm’s practice areas and has a particular interest in general protections and discrimination claims, industrial relations, and human rights law. Zeb assists individual and corporate clients at Harmers, and has separately worked for the regulator and in-house. From this varied experience, Zeb is well-suited to assist with the entire suite of employment and industrial law matters. Zeb is particularly adept at helping clients through proactive advice and dispute resolution, including by considering commercial impacts and human relationships in a holistic and strategic way.

Outside of work, Zeb was previously a school champion in both chess and rugby and continues to pursue these interests. He also holds a non-fiction book club and is always looking for recommendations.