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Workers’ compensation

Cooper Grace Ward has a team of workers’ compensation lawyers with over 35 years’ experience in advising and representing WorkCover and major self-insured workers’ compensation clients.

Our team is dedicated to the management of workers’ compensation claims and related advice. The team is closely involved with claims in the retail, tourism and mining industries, and has vast experience in transport, health, community safety and local council claims. The team also has a special interest in pure psychological injury claims.

Cooper Grace Ward has leading expertise in the provision of the following services:

  • entitlement to damages issues, including investigation of, and preparation of Reasons for Decision in pure psychological injury claims
  • preparation of submissions to the Regulator, in applications for review
  • QIRC appeals, Industrial Magistrates’ Court appeals and Industrial Court appeals
  • identifying claims involving fraud, including all aspects of investigation of these claims
  • multiple party (PIPA) claims involving the various personal injuries schemes, including contractual indemnity issues
  • common law claims management, as our core business
  • advocacy in settlement conferences/mediations
  • litigated claims, including appeals to the Queensland Court of Appeal and the High Court of Australia.

 

Employer forums and seminars

Our team deliver regular seminars for employers on workers’ compensation issues, such as:

  • investigating workplace accidents
  • how employers can assist in the common law claim
  • calculating damages
  • managing psychological claims.

Find out more about our employer forums and seminars here.

 

Market leading workers’ compensation lawyers

For many years running, the team has achieved independent recognition in both Doyle’s Guide and Best Lawyers Australia. This includes rankings for partners Tony Park and Brady Cockburn as leading workers’ compensation lawyers in Queensland. It also includes rankings as a first tier Workers Compensation & WorkCover Law firm by Doyle’s Guide.

First tier is the highest category achievable and is based on feedback from both client and industry peers. The rankings highlight leading firms acting on behalf of insurers and self-insured entities and practising within the areas of workplace injury, accident and WorkCover matters in the Queensland legal market.

For advice or assistance from our workers’ compensation legal team, please contact any of the experts listed or call (07) 3231 2444.

Or read on to find out about our self-insurance legal services.

Key contacts

Brady Cockburn
Partner
Tony Park
Partner
Chris Murphy
Special Counsel
Jess Byrne
Senior Associate
Damien Jarrett
Senior Associate
Monique Moloney
Senior Associate
Kim Villis
Senior Associate
Rebecca Senini
Associate
Zoe Trikamji
Associate
Catherine Dugdell
Insurance Claims Adviser

Publications

Watch your step! Neither employer nor principal contractor liable for worker’s failure to watch where they were going

In the recent District Court decision of Morris v Evolution Traffic Control Pty Ltd [2023] QDC 195, an employer and principal contractor were both found not liable for a trip and fall on a raised section of bitumen at a traffic site.

Principal contractor liable for unsafe access ladders, despite third party’s specialist expertise

High Court unanimously finds for WorkCover in unusual vicarious liability case

A significant outcome for employers in High Court case examining vicarious liability.