SarahGoodhew
Partner
International Employment Law
sgoodhew@seyfarth.com
Sarah is a seasoned advocate for work health and safety law, and a trusted advisor to leading employers. She assists clients with implementing robust measures to prevent and respond to health and safety issues.
More About Sarah
Sarah dedicates herself solely to health and safety law, and has deep knowledge of this area that comes from nearly two decades of experience working on these matters. Sarah's practice focuses on three critical aspects of workplace health and safety in relation to her clients’ employees and contractors: prevention, learning, and response.
When it comes to preventing workplace incidents, Sarah provides clients with a unique understanding of the various challenges that may arise. Clients rely on Sarah to help them remain compliant with workplace health and safety laws as they apply them in different jurisdictions throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She is at the forefront of assisting clients with adapting to changes in work health and safety laws, particularly those related to psychosocial workplace hazards and risks. Through her thorough wide-ranging reviews, Sarah is well known for providing straightforward legal counsel and ready-to-apply strategies, so clients can effectively manage workplace safety and health risks—including implementing control measures relating to psychosocial hazards—in the workplace.
When it comes to her clients’ work health and safety obligations, regulatory matters, legal compliance, governance arrangements, and effective incident responses, Sarah draws on her legal experience to impart real-world knowledge and easy-to-follow, practical briefings to C-suite and executives at board meetings and bespoke workplace health and safety briefings. Her guidance not only gives clients peace of mind that they can meet—and indeed exceed—their obligations concerning health and safety at work, but also that they are sufficiently prepared to face the immediate and long-term challenges associated with safety incidents.
When responding to safety incidents, Sarah is a go-to lawyer for leading businesses in Australia. Because Sarah recognises that no two incidents—or organisations—are alike, she works alongside her clients every step of the way to implement strategies to get the best legal and commercial outcomes. When litigation or investigations become unavoidable for clients, Sarah is an accomplished and fierce litigator, particularly when responding to regulator investigations, preparing and defending lengthy and complex work health and safety prosecutions, and representing clients at coronial inquests.
Sarah has gained valuable working knowledge of various aspects of client operations, particularly in the resources, mining, retail, construction, health, and transport sectors, that allows her to provide practical, realistic legal advice—from the intricate knowledge of how her clients' operations work, to how her clients distinguish themselves in their market.
Sarah enjoys her practice at Seyfarth—one of the few firms with a dedicated health and safety team—and working with leading organisations on cases that change the law. She considers herself extremely fortunate to work with the calibre of Seyfarth professionals who work on a raft of varied health and safety issues daily.
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.
When it comes to preventing workplace incidents, Sarah provides clients with a unique understanding of the various challenges that may arise. Clients rely on Sarah to help them remain compliant with workplace health and safety laws as they apply them in different jurisdictions throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She is at the forefront of assisting clients with adapting to changes in work health and safety laws, particularly those related to psychosocial workplace hazards and risks. Through her thorough wide-ranging reviews, Sarah is well known for providing straightforward legal counsel and ready-to-apply strategies, so clients can effectively manage workplace safety and health risks—including implementing control measures relating to psychosocial hazards—in the workplace.
When it comes to her clients’ work health and safety obligations, regulatory matters, legal compliance, governance arrangements, and effective incident responses, Sarah draws on her legal experience to impart real-world knowledge and easy-to-follow, practical briefings to C-suite and executives at board meetings and bespoke workplace health and safety briefings. Her guidance not only gives clients peace of mind that they can meet—and indeed exceed—their obligations concerning health and safety at work, but also that they are sufficiently prepared to face the immediate and long-term challenges associated with safety incidents.
When responding to safety incidents, Sarah is a go-to lawyer for leading businesses in Australia. Because Sarah recognises that no two incidents—or organisations—are alike, she works alongside her clients every step of the way to implement strategies to get the best legal and commercial outcomes. When litigation or investigations become unavoidable for clients, Sarah is an accomplished and fierce litigator, particularly when responding to regulator investigations, preparing and defending lengthy and complex work health and safety prosecutions, and representing clients at coronial inquests.
Sarah has gained valuable working knowledge of various aspects of client operations, particularly in the resources, mining, retail, construction, health, and transport sectors, that allows her to provide practical, realistic legal advice—from the intricate knowledge of how her clients' operations work, to how her clients distinguish themselves in their market.
Sarah enjoys her practice at Seyfarth—one of the few firms with a dedicated health and safety team—and working with leading organisations on cases that change the law. She considers herself extremely fortunate to work with the calibre of Seyfarth professionals who work on a raft of varied health and safety issues daily.
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.
- LLB, University of Wollongong
- BComm, University of Wollongong
- An Australian legal practitioner admitted in New South Wales
- An Australian legal practitioner admitted to the High Court of Australia
Related Regions
-
Advised a mining and engineering group on the development of its contractor engagement strategy and contractor engagement processes to enhance its current approach and meet the changing contractor landscape. Sarah and her team advised the client on how to address the key challenges associated with the company’s increased uptake of contractors, which allowed the client to apply a targeted strategy to enhance its current system.
-
Reviewed a multinational employer’s legal standards and frameworks for managing workplace psychosocial risks across multiple jurisdictions around the globe. The client sought to determine which jurisdiction had the highest standards or obligations, which the client could then adopt as its baseline for all other jurisdictions. By coordinating and managing multiple international work streams, Sarah and her team delivered advice that captured the highest compliance standards, including succinct, visual analyses and risk ratings, along with a detailed legal reference paper to outline the contextual insights and nuances of each jurisdiction.
-
Successfully defended a large resources client in a lengthy, complex, and technical health and safety prosecution, with more than 35 witnesses, an expert witness conclave and multiple expert reports, and 50 days at trial.
-
Represented a large resources company throughout a regulatory investigation involving more than 40 regulatory notices to assist in demonstrating that there was no need for the regulator to take enforcement action.
-
Assisted a resources company with responding to a regulatory investigation and negotiating an enforceable undertaking.
Related News & Insights
-
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
-
Blog Post
Jun 5, 2023
Is your business ready for a relentless and exhausting period of change?
-
Blog Post
May 21, 2023
HR and safety working together on the new positive duty
- Recognised in International Employment Lawyer Global Elite (2022)
- Recognised in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific Australia Workplace Health and Safety (2018)
- Recognised in Doyle’s Guide (2020–2024)
- Co-Author, “The next ten years: Seyfarth’s partners discuss the future of employment and workplace safety law in Australia,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 5, 2024)
- Co-Author, “A decade in Australia: Seyfarth’s partners reflect on changes in employment and workplace safety law,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 29, 2024)
- Co-Author, "Board accountability and sexual harassment in the new regime," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 26, 2023)
- Co-Author, “Is your business ready for a relentless and exhausting period of change?,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 6, 2023)
- Co-Author, “HR and safety working together on the new positive duty,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (May 22, 2023)
- Co-Author, “Paying more than lip service to psychosocial safety,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (May 12, 2023)
- Co-Author, “It’s not all hard hats and high vis: The hazards you cannot see in the workplace,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 20, 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, “Insights for employers and aspiring professionals on how to #BreakTheBias,” Workplace Law and Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 7, 2022)
- Co-Author, “Taking eyes off the ball? Perception and tolerance of critical safety risks during a global pandemic,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 16, 2021)
- Co-Author, “We care about machines, but will they care about us?,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 15, 2019)
- Co-Author, “Safeguards, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 28, 2019)
- Co-Author, “Director prosecution and conviction in New South Wales,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (January 11, 2016)
- Co-Author, “The latest challenges in health and safety in the mining industry,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 17, 2015)
Sarah is a seasoned advocate for work health and safety law, and a trusted advisor to leading employers. She assists clients with implementing robust measures to prevent and respond to health and safety issues.
More About Sarah
Sarah dedicates herself solely to health and safety law, and has deep knowledge of this area that comes from nearly two decades of experience working on these matters. Sarah's practice focuses on three critical aspects of workplace health and safety in relation to her clients’ employees and contractors: prevention, learning, and response.
When it comes to preventing workplace incidents, Sarah provides clients with a unique understanding of the various challenges that may arise. Clients rely on Sarah to help them remain compliant with workplace health and safety laws as they apply them in different jurisdictions throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She is at the forefront of assisting clients with adapting to changes in work health and safety laws, particularly those related to psychosocial workplace hazards and risks. Through her thorough wide-ranging reviews, Sarah is well known for providing straightforward legal counsel and ready-to-apply strategies, so clients can effectively manage workplace safety and health risks—including implementing control measures relating to psychosocial hazards—in the workplace.
When it comes to her clients’ work health and safety obligations, regulatory matters, legal compliance, governance arrangements, and effective incident responses, Sarah draws on her legal experience to impart real-world knowledge and easy-to-follow, practical briefings to C-suite and executives at board meetings and bespoke workplace health and safety briefings. Her guidance not only gives clients peace of mind that they can meet—and indeed exceed—their obligations concerning health and safety at work, but also that they are sufficiently prepared to face the immediate and long-term challenges associated with safety incidents.
When responding to safety incidents, Sarah is a go-to lawyer for leading businesses in Australia. Because Sarah recognises that no two incidents—or organisations—are alike, she works alongside her clients every step of the way to implement strategies to get the best legal and commercial outcomes. When litigation or investigations become unavoidable for clients, Sarah is an accomplished and fierce litigator, particularly when responding to regulator investigations, preparing and defending lengthy and complex work health and safety prosecutions, and representing clients at coronial inquests.
Sarah has gained valuable working knowledge of various aspects of client operations, particularly in the resources, mining, retail, construction, health, and transport sectors, that allows her to provide practical, realistic legal advice—from the intricate knowledge of how her clients' operations work, to how her clients distinguish themselves in their market.
Sarah enjoys her practice at Seyfarth—one of the few firms with a dedicated health and safety team—and working with leading organisations on cases that change the law. She considers herself extremely fortunate to work with the calibre of Seyfarth professionals who work on a raft of varied health and safety issues daily.
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.
When it comes to preventing workplace incidents, Sarah provides clients with a unique understanding of the various challenges that may arise. Clients rely on Sarah to help them remain compliant with workplace health and safety laws as they apply them in different jurisdictions throughout Australia and the Asia Pacific region. She is at the forefront of assisting clients with adapting to changes in work health and safety laws, particularly those related to psychosocial workplace hazards and risks. Through her thorough wide-ranging reviews, Sarah is well known for providing straightforward legal counsel and ready-to-apply strategies, so clients can effectively manage workplace safety and health risks—including implementing control measures relating to psychosocial hazards—in the workplace.
When it comes to her clients’ work health and safety obligations, regulatory matters, legal compliance, governance arrangements, and effective incident responses, Sarah draws on her legal experience to impart real-world knowledge and easy-to-follow, practical briefings to C-suite and executives at board meetings and bespoke workplace health and safety briefings. Her guidance not only gives clients peace of mind that they can meet—and indeed exceed—their obligations concerning health and safety at work, but also that they are sufficiently prepared to face the immediate and long-term challenges associated with safety incidents.
When responding to safety incidents, Sarah is a go-to lawyer for leading businesses in Australia. Because Sarah recognises that no two incidents—or organisations—are alike, she works alongside her clients every step of the way to implement strategies to get the best legal and commercial outcomes. When litigation or investigations become unavoidable for clients, Sarah is an accomplished and fierce litigator, particularly when responding to regulator investigations, preparing and defending lengthy and complex work health and safety prosecutions, and representing clients at coronial inquests.
Sarah has gained valuable working knowledge of various aspects of client operations, particularly in the resources, mining, retail, construction, health, and transport sectors, that allows her to provide practical, realistic legal advice—from the intricate knowledge of how her clients' operations work, to how her clients distinguish themselves in their market.
Sarah enjoys her practice at Seyfarth—one of the few firms with a dedicated health and safety team—and working with leading organisations on cases that change the law. She considers herself extremely fortunate to work with the calibre of Seyfarth professionals who work on a raft of varied health and safety issues daily.
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.
- LLB, University of Wollongong
- BComm, University of Wollongong
- An Australian legal practitioner admitted in New South Wales
- An Australian legal practitioner admitted to the High Court of Australia
Related Regions
-
Advised a mining and engineering group on the development of its contractor engagement strategy and contractor engagement processes to enhance its current approach and meet the changing contractor landscape. Sarah and her team advised the client on how to address the key challenges associated with the company’s increased uptake of contractors, which allowed the client to apply a targeted strategy to enhance its current system.
-
Reviewed a multinational employer’s legal standards and frameworks for managing workplace psychosocial risks across multiple jurisdictions around the globe. The client sought to determine which jurisdiction had the highest standards or obligations, which the client could then adopt as its baseline for all other jurisdictions. By coordinating and managing multiple international work streams, Sarah and her team delivered advice that captured the highest compliance standards, including succinct, visual analyses and risk ratings, along with a detailed legal reference paper to outline the contextual insights and nuances of each jurisdiction.
-
Successfully defended a large resources client in a lengthy, complex, and technical health and safety prosecution, with more than 35 witnesses, an expert witness conclave and multiple expert reports, and 50 days at trial.
-
Represented a large resources company throughout a regulatory investigation involving more than 40 regulatory notices to assist in demonstrating that there was no need for the regulator to take enforcement action.
-
Assisted a resources company with responding to a regulatory investigation and negotiating an enforceable undertaking.
Related News & Insights
-
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
-
Blog Post
Jun 5, 2023
Is your business ready for a relentless and exhausting period of change?
-
Blog Post
May 21, 2023
HR and safety working together on the new positive duty
- Recognised in International Employment Lawyer Global Elite (2022)
- Recognised in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific Australia Workplace Health and Safety (2018)
- Recognised in Doyle’s Guide (2020–2024)
- Co-Author, “The next ten years: Seyfarth’s partners discuss the future of employment and workplace safety law in Australia,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 5, 2024)
- Co-Author, “A decade in Australia: Seyfarth’s partners reflect on changes in employment and workplace safety law,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 29, 2024)
- Co-Author, "Board accountability and sexual harassment in the new regime," Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 26, 2023)
- Co-Author, “Is your business ready for a relentless and exhausting period of change?,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (June 6, 2023)
- Co-Author, “HR and safety working together on the new positive duty,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (May 22, 2023)
- Co-Author, “Paying more than lip service to psychosocial safety,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (May 12, 2023)
- Co-Author, “It’s not all hard hats and high vis: The hazards you cannot see in the workplace,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 20, 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, “Insights for employers and aspiring professionals on how to #BreakTheBias,” Workplace Law and Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 7, 2022)
- Co-Author, “Taking eyes off the ball? Perception and tolerance of critical safety risks during a global pandemic,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (March 16, 2021)
- Co-Author, “We care about machines, but will they care about us?,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (April 15, 2019)
- Co-Author, “Safeguards, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (February 28, 2019)
- Co-Author, “Director prosecution and conviction in New South Wales,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (January 11, 2016)
- Co-Author, “The latest challenges in health and safety in the mining industry,” Workplace Law & Strategy, Seyfarth Shaw LLP (September 17, 2015)