Gilchrist Connell reinforces workplace practice with new principal

Leading insurance law firm Gilchrist Connell welcomes a new principal lawyer to steer its Australian workplace practice, which encompasses both its employment and workplace health & safety practice areas.

Apart from being an insurance and commercial litigator since 2009, Bhrig Chauhan (pictured) brings decades of expertise in work health & safety and employment law to the firm.

Chauhan’s broader practice history includes representing professionals in negligence cases and advising employers, educational authorities, insurers, and other individuals on a range of workplace-related matters such as statutory prosecution, employment disputes, unfair dismissals, discrimination, sexual harassment claims, and regulatory and disciplinary investigation. Years of experience have also allowed Chauhan to be on-site in the aftermath of serious workplace mishaps, advising clients through investigations and representing them at every step of coronial investigations and trials involving construction and road works, manufacturing processes, use of specialist mobile equipment, bullying, wall collapses, recreational activities, government care, and transportation.

Chauhan regularly acts for insurers and self-insured clients under management liability, employment practices liability, and similarly named policies across the insurance manufacturing, building, IT, professional, hospitality, not-for-profit, agribusiness, logistics, education, and public sectors.

“Bhrig’s expertise neatly complements our existing workplace offering and bolsters our ability to service clients in these key areas of demand,” said Gilchrist Connell managing principal Richard Wood.

Chauhan is based in Melbourne, from where he will provide advice on how to minimise legal exposure associated with performance management, executive disputes, restructuring, employment contracts, policies, and enterprise agreements for a range of industries.

Gilchrist Connell now boasts a team of more than 140 lawyers – including more than 30 principals – operating across all Australian jurisdictions from five offices. Apart from its international and full-service insurance practice, the firm provides workplace, restructuring and insolvency, and corporate and commercial to businesses at all stages of their life cycle.

Gilchrist Connell recently won the prestigious title of Insurance Specialist Firm of the Year at the 2023 Australasian Law Awards.