Clayton Utz partner and employment law expert Bruce Heddle has joined Maddocks in Sydney. Maddocks now has a team of five partners and almost 20 lawyers practising in industrial relations, OH&S and discrimination law. Practice head Ross Jackson foreshadowed further additions to the team in coming months, another manifestation of the strong growth prospects firms are reading for employment law practices in the current market.

"Despite the economic downturn, we have experienced strong growth in both Melbourne and Sydney, across all employment, discrimination and safety related areas," said Jackson.