About Steve Heathcote

Steve had a career in banking before completing a Commerce degree majoring in Human Resources Management and Industrial Relations. He also worked briefly in a training consultancy before accepting a position as industrial advocate with the Printing Industries Association of Australia in 1994. Steve represented members before the state and federal industrial commissions and in the Industrial Relations Court of Australia in industrial disputes, unfair dismissal claims, denied contractual benefits claims and in all aspects of enterprise bargaining. While at the PIAA, he was a member of the Board of Reference and of the Industry Training Council. In short, he's had a well-rounded education in business, and in HR and IR matters. He's been to the coal face and he knows what it's like. Steve also worked as a Sessional (casual) lecturer and tutor in employment and industrial law at Curtin University during that period. He lectured and tutored (intermittently) both graduate and undergraduate students in employment law, industrial law, workers' compensation, discrimination law, and occupational safety and health, for about 8 years.

Steve began studying for a law degree while working at the PIAA and ultimately, in 1996, he left the PIAA to pursue a legal career. Since leaving the PIAA, Steve has worked at a number of law firms ranging from boutique Labour Law firm Bartlett & Co to top-tier firm Clayton Utz. Steve was a Partner at Downings Legal from 2006-2010, followed by a stint with national firm Sparke Helmore. Steve established his own practice in July 2013 and is now working as a sole practitioner where he continues to look after a group of loyal long-term corporate clients and to deliver training at AIM courses and public seminars and conferences.

Steve loves to develop close relationships with clients and to get to know and understand what drives their business and what kind of culture they're trying to foster. Steve's skill set and his willingness to be 'hands-on' is especially valuable to small and medium sized businesses that don't have large, well-resourced HR or IR teams. Steve is also well aware that lawyers can be expensive, and are sometimes prohibitively expensive. He has designed his practice to run 'lean and mean' so that legal fees he charges are almost always lower than what most clients as used to paying. It's important to Steve that he's affordable and that clients get value for every dollar they choose to spend.

From time to time, Steve accepts instructions to act for employees. He believes that it's important to be able to appreciate both side of an employment problem and he sees accepting instructions from both employers and employees as a good way of maintaining that appreciation.

He understands commerce. He understands the value of teamwork and collaboration. He respects and values the trust clients show when they invite him to work with them. He loves doing good work and he's fussy about the quality of what he does. He's experience, practical, and outcome focused.