Stephen Hughes
Special Counsel, Travis Schultz and Partners and Honorary ASORC Legal Counsel and Honorary Fellow
Stephen is a Queensland Law Society (QLS) Accredited Specialist who has been working for 30 years across workplace relations, employment and compensation law.
Stephen deeply understands the impacts that injury can have on a person’s life and livelihood, both through his extensive legal experience and serving as an Honorary Board Member and Legal Counsel for the Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors Ltd (ASORC) since 1993. In 2021 Stephen was proud to be awarded an ASORC Honorary Fellowship in recognition of his many decades of service.
He sees his role as not only achieving fair compensation for clients but being a caring and trusted partner who guides claimants through the legal process with dignity and compassion.
Described in the internationally recognised Legal 500 Guide (2016) as a “brilliant” and “recommended” employment/workplace relations lawyer who “thinks outside the box”, Stephen has acted for diverse clients across Australia and internationally.
He is Membership Officer of LAWASIA's Employment and Labour Law Sub-Committee and has shared his expertise as a speaker at multiple LAWASIA conferences throughout the Asia Pacific.
A real culture buff, Stephen loves collecting art and antiquities as well as enjoying nature-based pursuits including bushwalking and travel.
Milestones, Qualifications & Awards
· Bachelor of Laws, University of Queensland 1988
· Admission 1991
· Master of Laws, QUT 1998
· Queensland Law Society (QLS) Accredited Specialist – Personal Injuries (since 1998)
· Practice Management Course, QLS (2000)
Community Roles
· Honorary Fellow, Honorary Board Member and Legal Counsel, Australian Society of Rehabilitation Counsellors Ltd (ASORC)
· Executive Committee, LAWASIA Employment & Labour Law Committee (Membership Officer)
· Former member, QLS Personal Injuries Committee
· Former Board Member and Secretary, Volunteering Gold Coast Inc.
CONFERENCE PRESENTATION
Employment Law – Need to knows in 10 min
High Court rules on casual conversion (casual to permanent)
High Court rules on employee or contractor
Changes to Fair Work Act – recent and foreshadowed
Foreshadowed changes for the Gig Economy
Award and classification errors, “wage theft” and underpayment claims
Takeaways