Before you act, not after. The most useful time to get advice is while a decision is still reversible – ahead of communicating a termination, starting a performance process, restructuring a team, or changing someone's role/pay. Once a decision has been implemented, your options narrow and the cost of fixing it rises.

For one-off matters, we agree upon a fixed fee after scoping the work (so you know the cost before it starts). Ongoing support is available as an annual arrangement for businesses that want continuing access to a lawyer. We'll confirm fees in writing before any work actually begins.

Xemplo Legal is led by Principal Lawyer Sean Loughland, who oversees every employment matter the practice takes on. You'll be dealing with a lawyer, not a call centre.

We can advise on the process, evidence, and documentation that offers a termination the best chance of withstanding challenge – and on whether the dismissal may be defensible before it happens. No lawyer can guarantee that an employee won't lodge a claim, but most successful claims turn on avoidable process failures.

Yes, and often more so. Smaller employers carry the same obligations without an in-house HR or legal team, which is where most avoidable exposure comes from. Small business also has specific rules (including the Small Business Fair Dismissal Code) which could change how some terminations are handled.

Yes, certain Australian employment law obligations may attach to the work performed here and overseas employers are frequently caught out by award coverage, minimum entitlements, and termination process. We advise on the Australian side of the arrangement and work alongside your local advisers elsewhere.

Not to get advice on a one-off matter. The ongoing service is built around it, though approved contracts are issued to every new hire, policies are updated when the law changes, and acknowledgements are captured without anyone chasing them. We offer additional legal support on the best application of these products delivered via the Xemplo Platform. None of that works unless your workforce processes run through Xemplo. If you're looking at continued support, we'll cover the platform as part of scoping the engagement (before you commit to anything).