Karl Luke
Partner
kluke@tglaw.com.au
+61 8 8236 1280
+61 411 223 895
vCard
Adelaide
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Areas of Expertise

Employment, Workplace Relations & Safety, Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Insurance

Karl has more than 30 years' experience practising as both barrister and solicitor across all Australian jurisdictions.

An experienced litigator, Karl acts in workplace litigation, workers compensation and safety investigations and prosecutions. He advises on bullying, harassment and discrimination matters as well as advising boards, executives, legal counsel and HR in all aspects of employment law including performance management, transfer of business and termination.

Karl has acted as counsel in coronial inquests, royal commissions and WHS prosecutions. Karl regularly appears in both Federal and State based courts, commissions and tribunals.  He conducts workplace assessments, investigations and cultural reviews.

Advising across a range of industries, Karl has acted extensively in industry sectors including energy (oil and gas), mining, defence, construction, manufacturing, health, technology, disabilty and aged care. Karl is the author of 'National Work Health and Safety Practice', a subscription service for global publisher Thomson Reuters.

What others say

"Lawyer of the Year, Occupational Health & Safety Law"
Best Lawyers Peer Review 2020, 2023
"Best Lawyer, Occupational Health & Safety Law"
Best Lawyers Peer Review 2019-2025
"Recognised Lawyer, Labour and Employment Law"
Legal 500 Asia-Pacific 2019-2023
"Leading Lawyer, Workplace Health & Safety"
Doyle’s Guide 2022 - 2024

Experience

Australian Submarine Corporation

Advising on a large safety due diligence project for the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC). This work has included the delivery of a governance safety system to ensure ASC’s officers can deliver excellence in the governance of safety and compliance with its due diligence obligations under the harmonised Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws. Further, Karl was enlisted to work with ASC’s General Manager of Safety to devise practical solutions to the integration of WHS laws into ASC’s systems whilst at the same time enhancing existing corporate management processes and streamlining ASC’s safety auditing tools to deliver meaningful safety solutions.

ElectraNet

Advising ElectraNet to ensure compliance with health and safety duties and obligations. This included conducting a detailed analysis, review, and remediation of ElectraNet’s infrastructure and contractor management systems. Karl worked in collaboration with general counsel and executives to also deliver a safety governance system and safety management framework to ensure compliance with ElectraNet’s broader duties under harmonised WHS laws.

CSR

Advising CSR on a project involving the strategic review of CSR’s obligations under the Workers Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1986 (SA) with the outcome of reducing workers compensation premiums and obligations for the provision of ongoing employment to employees who have sustained compensable injuries and who are permanently restricted from returning to productive pre-injury duties.

About us

Thomson Geer is one of Australia's largest independent corporate law firms. We are trusted by companies, governments and institutions to act for their commercial and legal interests.

Thomson Geer acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.