Michael Tamvakologos

Michael Tamvakologos
When clients were asked what they valued most in Michael, one client responded “He is very sharp, quick and commercial, and very good at building relationships with the commercial side of our business; you can put him in front of the CEO or anyone else and know he won’t let you down”, Chambers 2017.

What makes Michael more than a stand-out strategic litigator sought after by leading multi-nationals, is a near complete MBA at INSEAD University (rated by the Financial Times as the No 1 MBA in the world in 2017) which is reinforcing an understanding of the commercial side of your organisation.

Combining a thirst for knowledge with strong technical legal abilities, Michael has authored The Art of Law, the complete guide to understanding the business of employee litigation, click here to learn more.

Firm/Organization: Seyfarth Shaw LLP

Blogs: Trading Secrets, Workplace Law & Strategy

Latest Articles

Workplace Law & Strategy

No silver bullet for slowing wages growth in Australia, but there are solutions

By Michael Tamvakologos on May 15, 2019

The debate on what is to be done about slowing wages growth of Australian workers is, understandably, receiving an increased focus in the midst of an intense election campaign. The Labor Party has described this election as “A referendum on wages”. The Australian Council of Trade Unions, under its “Change the Rules” campaign, argues that the workplace relations system is biased in favour of employers’ who are choosing to keep wages low and taking this…

Workplace Law & Strategy

5 years on – in human resources, industrial relations and workplace health and safety law

By Rachel Bernasconi, Paul Cutrone, Ben Dudley, Luke Edwards, Chris Gardner, Jane Hall, Darren Perry, Henry Skene & Michael Tamvakologos on December 12, 2018

On 12 December 2013 Seyfarth Shaw announced our Australian offices were officially open for business. Today marks five years since those doors opened. What better way to reflect than to ask ourselves, what have been the biggest changes in our specialist areas of law over those five years? “It has become increasingly difficult to make enterprise agreements that are compliant, genuinely enterprise-focused and fit for purpose due to increasing modern award complexity combined with the…

Workplace Law & Strategy

The post-employment restraint as a business asset

By Michael Tamvakologos on October 4, 2018

An enforceable restraint of trade can be a key business asset. Some might think about it as an insurance policy. The capacity to preserve customer connections, protect confidential information and discourage key executives from setting up their own business or moving to a competitor can be critical to information rich businesses operating in a competitive market. This is the case now more than ever given that the Supreme Court of Victoria’s decision in Just Group …

Workplace Law & Strategy

Preparing Australian employers for increases in employment class action lawsuits

By Michael Tamvakologos & Mitchell Brennan on June 20, 2018

Employment class action lawsuits are a common cause of action in North America, and while we have traditionally seen fewer in Australia, there has been a recent uptick in occurrences. What does this mean for Australian employers? Without large numbers of cases and their precedents to study, how you plan for and prevent class actions may be an ‘unknown’ for many employers. Given the unique bet-the-company issues for employers arising from class actions –…

Workplace Law & Strategy

7 proven ingredients in successful enterprise bargaining

By Chris Gardner & Michael Tamvakologos on May 11, 2018

At a recent industry conference, a keynote speaker talked about great outcomes a number of our clients achieved in a critical enterprise bargaining round. One observation was the importance of “patience“ – with which we would wholeheartedly agree. So it got us thinking about ingredients for success. Here are some key ones, borrowed from our bespoke workshop process dedicated to this end. Clarity of need: articulated and connected to the business needs Gain v Pain:…

Workplace Law & Strategy

Why “future proofing” is a myth

By Michael Tamvakologos on April 4, 2018

For years, the emergence of truly global supply chains and the rise of large, increasingly skilled workforces has wrought havoc on labour supply in Western developed countries. It seems that these days nearly every industry, profession or occupation is facing an existential threat due to automation, artificial intelligence or other advances in technology (indeed, lawyers are said to be the next to go!). This is seen as the next frontier. In this environment, there is…

Workplace Law & Strategy

Changing an employee’s duties: Is that a redundancy?

By Michael Tamvakologos & Justine Giuliani on February 8, 2018

In a dynamic and fast paced business environment, structuring the workforce to meet changing operational requirements is front of mind for most employers. These requirements will often necessitate changes to an employee’s duties to ensure the business has the right skills in place in a competitive market – for example, to keep pace with technological change. Employers may also look to fill a resourcing gap by utilising existing employees in a different role, rather than…

Workplace Law & Strategy

A Modern Slavery Act for Australia

By Michael Tamvakologos, Paul Cutrone, Rachel Bernasconi & Geoffrey Beinart-Smollan on December 18, 2017

The Australian Government’s inquiry into establishing a Modern Slavery Act reflects a growing domestic and international commitment to eliminate the exploitative practices of modern day slavery, and recommends new reporting and due diligence obligations for businesses operating in Australia. Hidden in plain sight Over 40 million people around the world are trapped in conditions of modern slavery, according to estimates from the Walk Free Foundation and International Labour Organization, including an estimated 4300 victims…

Workplace Law & Strategy

Proposal to outlaw “unrepresentative” enterprise agreements – when will an enterprise agreement be undone?

By Michael Tamvakologos & Ben Dudley on October 19, 2017

survey-opinion-research-voting-fill-159353

On Wednesday 18 October, the Shadow Minister for Industrial Relations Brendan O’Connor foreshadowed amending the bargaining regime in the Fair Work Act to outlaw so-called “sham agreements”. The target of the changes seems to be enterprise agreements that are voted on by one group of employees, but have the potential also to cover a much broader group, or to cover a similar group who will be employed in a different geographic location. The Shadow Minister referred…

Workplace Law & Strategy

Agreement terminations on the up – 5 union response strategies

By Michael Tamvakologos on February 9, 2017

The Aurizon decision handed down on 22 April 2015 and endorsed by a Full Federal Court on 3 September 2015 has created a viable option for employers needing to move away from legacy industrial arrangements that are bad for business. The Aurizon decision was a watershed ruling because it swept away a longstanding presumption that agreements should not be terminated whilst bargaining negotiations for a new agreement are occurring (see our earlier blogs about this…

Michael Tamvakologos

No silver bullet for slowing wages growth in Australia, but there are solutions

5 years on – in human resources, industrial relations and workplace health and safety law

The post-employment restraint as a business asset

Preparing Australian employers for increases in employment class action lawsuits

7 proven ingredients in successful enterprise bargaining

Why “future proofing” is a myth

Changing an employee’s duties: Is that a redundancy?

A Modern Slavery Act for Australia

Proposal to outlaw “unrepresentative” enterprise agreements – when will an enterprise agreement be undone?

Agreement terminations on the up – 5 union response strategies

Company

Support

New to the Network