ErinHawthorne
Partner
International Employment Law
ehawthorne@seyfarth.com
Erin is passionate about solving difficult employment and industrial problems. She enjoys working closely with clients on innovative legal projects to implement practical solutions.
More About Erin
An experienced litigator representing employers when litigation is unavoidable or advantageous, Erin has the game plan needed to protect or attack. She has worked in both private practice and in-house roles and uses her experience of being a client to deliver the best legal strategy through a lens of practicality. She enjoys using the opportunities presented by employment and industrial problems to deliver outcomes for her clients.
Erin has extensive experience assisting clients to respond to regulatory compliance inquiries and broader workforce planning and compliance projects. She enjoys working closely with clients on innovative legal projects, including business critical or highly sensitive matters, where the legal strategy has to be tailored to achieve the objectives. Erin works with clients across a range of industries, including responding to single employee or union claims as well as day-to-day employment queries.
Erin has been recognised by The Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Lawyer" (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2021), Best Lawyers Australia for Labour & Employment (Woodward/White Inc.) (2020-2022), and Doyle's Guide (2019).
Our Australian practice operates as Seyfarth Shaw Australia, an unincorporated legal practice. Legal services provided by Seyfarth Shaw Australia are provided only by the Australian legal practitioner partners and employees of Seyfarth Shaw Australia.
Erin has extensive experience assisting clients to respond to regulatory compliance inquiries and broader workforce planning and compliance projects. She enjoys working closely with clients on innovative legal projects, including business critical or highly sensitive matters, where the legal strategy has to be tailored to achieve the objectives. Erin works with clients across a range of industries, including responding to single employee or union claims as well as day-to-day employment queries.
Erin has been recognised by The Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Lawyer" (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2021), Best Lawyers Australia for Labour & Employment (Woodward/White Inc.) (2020-2022), and Doyle's Guide (2019).
Our Australian practice operates as Seyfarth Shaw Australia, an unincorporated legal practice. Legal services provided by Seyfarth Shaw Australia are provided only by the Australian legal practitioner partners and employees of Seyfarth Shaw Australia.
- BA, Monash University
- LLB, Monash University
- An Australian legal practitioner admitted in Victoria
Related Services
Related Regions
Blogs
- Supported clients to plan and achieve industry-leading collective bargaining outcomes.
- Acted in proceedings to stop unlawful industrial action and pickets.
- Advised on and undertaken high stakes workplace investigations for clients on highly sensitive matters.
- Acted in a number of anti-bullying claims, including innovative legal questions on how the anti-bullying laws apply to social media, what steps an employer must take to respond to bullying, and obtaining orders restricting inappropriate conduct during an industrial dispute.
- Successfully defended claims of confidentiality and privilege in investigation reports in contested legal proceedings.
Related News & Insights
-
Blog Post
Mar 6, 2024
International Women’s Day 2024: Pay gaps, the law of averages and accelerating progress
-
Blog Post
Mar 4, 2024
The next ten years: Seyfarth’s partners discuss the future of employment and workplace safety law in Australia
-
Blog Post
Feb 28, 2024
A decade in Australia: Seyfarth’s partners reflect on changes in employment and workplace safety law
-
Recognition
01/17/2024
Seyfarth Ranked Highly in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024
- Recognised in Best Lawyers Australia for Labour & Employment (Woodward/White Inc.) (2020-2024)
-
Recognised by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific as a “Next Generation Partner” for Labour and Employment (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2024)
- Recognised in International Employment Lawyer Elite (2022, 2024)
- Recognised as a "recommended" lawyer in Employment Law by Doyle’s Guide (2019)
- Co-Author, "Board accountability and sexual harassment in the new regime," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 26, 2023)
- Co-Author, "Is the Qantas v TWU decision the death knell for outsourcing?," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 14, 2023)
- Co-Author, "Navigating the new world of work: Is contracting on the way out?," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 11, 2023)
- Co-Author, "The Four-Day Workweek: What’s not to love about a shorter working week?," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (May 2, 2023)
- Co-Author, "International Women's Day - Insights for leading employers on how they can #EmbraceEquity in the workplace," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 8, 2023)
- Co-Author, "Looking ahead – will 2022 be ‘the year of living dangerously’ for hybrid work?" Workplace Law & Strategy Blog, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 16, 2021)
- Co-Author, "American Companies Face Considerable Risks Implementing Their Diversity Plans Abroad," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 13, 2021)
- Presenter, "Navigating HR Challenges: handling complex issues," Sydney, Employment Law for In-House Counsel Conference, Thomson Reuters (August 31, 2023)
- Presenter, “Preventing sexual harassment - adopting a safety-oriented approach”, Melbourne, Workplace Bullying and Harassment Conference, Thomson Reuters (August 25, 2023)
- Presenter, “What does the new Fair Work legislation mean for treatment of staff?”, Online, Industrial & Workplace Relations Conference 2023, Thomson Reuters (August 3, 2023)
- Erin leads the Melbourne office's pro bono participation in the Fair Work Commission Workplace Advice Service and has been involved in exploring other pro bono partnership opportunities.
- Erin embraces opportunities to give back to the community, including mentoring and fundraising walks for charity.
"Erin is a terrific practitioner and her client service is amazing." —Client feedback
"(Erin is) terrific. Very approachable and very practical in [her] advice – you can call [her] with a scenario and you’ll get a practical answer about what to do next." —Client feedback The Legal 500 (2021)
Erin is passionate about solving difficult employment and industrial problems. She enjoys working closely with clients on innovative legal projects to implement practical solutions.
More About Erin
An experienced litigator representing employers when litigation is unavoidable or advantageous, Erin has the game plan needed to protect or attack. She has worked in both private practice and in-house roles and uses her experience of being a client to deliver the best legal strategy through a lens of practicality. She enjoys using the opportunities presented by employment and industrial problems to deliver outcomes for her clients.
Erin has extensive experience assisting clients to respond to regulatory compliance inquiries and broader workforce planning and compliance projects. She enjoys working closely with clients on innovative legal projects, including business critical or highly sensitive matters, where the legal strategy has to be tailored to achieve the objectives. Erin works with clients across a range of industries, including responding to single employee or union claims as well as day-to-day employment queries.
Erin has been recognised by The Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Lawyer" (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2021), Best Lawyers Australia for Labour & Employment (Woodward/White Inc.) (2020-2022), and Doyle's Guide (2019).
Our Australian practice operates as Seyfarth Shaw Australia, an unincorporated legal practice. Legal services provided by Seyfarth Shaw Australia are provided only by the Australian legal practitioner partners and employees of Seyfarth Shaw Australia.
Erin has extensive experience assisting clients to respond to regulatory compliance inquiries and broader workforce planning and compliance projects. She enjoys working closely with clients on innovative legal projects, including business critical or highly sensitive matters, where the legal strategy has to be tailored to achieve the objectives. Erin works with clients across a range of industries, including responding to single employee or union claims as well as day-to-day employment queries.
Erin has been recognised by The Legal 500 as a "Next Generation Lawyer" (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2021), Best Lawyers Australia for Labour & Employment (Woodward/White Inc.) (2020-2022), and Doyle's Guide (2019).
Our Australian practice operates as Seyfarth Shaw Australia, an unincorporated legal practice. Legal services provided by Seyfarth Shaw Australia are provided only by the Australian legal practitioner partners and employees of Seyfarth Shaw Australia.
- BA, Monash University
- LLB, Monash University
- An Australian legal practitioner admitted in Victoria
Related Services
Related Regions
Blogs
- Supported clients to plan and achieve industry-leading collective bargaining outcomes.
- Acted in proceedings to stop unlawful industrial action and pickets.
- Advised on and undertaken high stakes workplace investigations for clients on highly sensitive matters.
- Acted in a number of anti-bullying claims, including innovative legal questions on how the anti-bullying laws apply to social media, what steps an employer must take to respond to bullying, and obtaining orders restricting inappropriate conduct during an industrial dispute.
- Successfully defended claims of confidentiality and privilege in investigation reports in contested legal proceedings.
Related News & Insights
-
Blog Post
Mar 6, 2024
International Women’s Day 2024: Pay gaps, the law of averages and accelerating progress
-
Blog Post
Mar 4, 2024
The next ten years: Seyfarth’s partners discuss the future of employment and workplace safety law in Australia
-
Blog Post
Feb 28, 2024
A decade in Australia: Seyfarth’s partners reflect on changes in employment and workplace safety law
-
Recognition
01/17/2024
Seyfarth Ranked Highly in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024
- Recognised in Best Lawyers Australia for Labour & Employment (Woodward/White Inc.) (2020-2024)
-
Recognised by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific as a “Next Generation Partner” for Labour and Employment (Legalese Ltd.) (2019-2024)
- Recognised in International Employment Lawyer Elite (2022, 2024)
- Recognised as a "recommended" lawyer in Employment Law by Doyle’s Guide (2019)
- Co-Author, "Board accountability and sexual harassment in the new regime," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 26, 2023)
- Co-Author, "Is the Qantas v TWU decision the death knell for outsourcing?," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 14, 2023)
- Co-Author, "Navigating the new world of work: Is contracting on the way out?," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 11, 2023)
- Co-Author, "The Four-Day Workweek: What’s not to love about a shorter working week?," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (May 2, 2023)
- Co-Author, "International Women's Day - Insights for leading employers on how they can #EmbraceEquity in the workplace," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 8, 2023)
- Co-Author, "Looking ahead – will 2022 be ‘the year of living dangerously’ for hybrid work?" Workplace Law & Strategy Blog, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (December 16, 2021)
- Co-Author, "American Companies Face Considerable Risks Implementing Their Diversity Plans Abroad," Legal Update, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (July 13, 2021)
- Presenter, "Navigating HR Challenges: handling complex issues," Sydney, Employment Law for In-House Counsel Conference, Thomson Reuters (August 31, 2023)
- Presenter, “Preventing sexual harassment - adopting a safety-oriented approach”, Melbourne, Workplace Bullying and Harassment Conference, Thomson Reuters (August 25, 2023)
- Presenter, “What does the new Fair Work legislation mean for treatment of staff?”, Online, Industrial & Workplace Relations Conference 2023, Thomson Reuters (August 3, 2023)
- Erin leads the Melbourne office's pro bono participation in the Fair Work Commission Workplace Advice Service and has been involved in exploring other pro bono partnership opportunities.
- Erin embraces opportunities to give back to the community, including mentoring and fundraising walks for charity.
"Erin is a terrific practitioner and her client service is amazing." —Client feedback
"(Erin is) terrific. Very approachable and very practical in [her] advice – you can call [her] with a scenario and you’ll get a practical answer about what to do next." —Client feedback The Legal 500 (2021)