Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, (formerly Maurice Blackburn & Co and Maurice Blackburn Cashman), was founded in 1919 by
Maurice Blackburn.[1] The firm is an Australian plaintiff law firm, having represented clients in a number of high-profile cases since its establishment.
Major cases
Since its establishment Maurice Blackburn Lawyers have acted in a number of cases, including:
The 40-Hour Working Week Case - in conjunction with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Maurice Blackburn fought for shorter working hours;
MUA Waterfront Dispute Case - represented maritime workers against the Commonwealth Government during the waterfront dispute in 1998;
The GIO Class Action - the first shareholder class action win in Australian legal history;
Centro Class Action - the biggest shareholder class action settlement in Australian legal history;[3]
Black Saturday bushfires Class Actions - collectively the largest class action settlement in Australian history at $794 million ($494 million in the Kinglake class action and $300 million in the Marysville class action);
Mohammed Haneef Case - defended Dr. Haneef against false charges of terrorism in 2010 and later acted on his behalf in a defamation matter;[4]
The Gene Patent BRCA1 Case - a ruling that saw the High Court rule that a mutated gene that causes cancer cannot be subject to a patent under Australian law.[5]