Michelle is the Chief Executive Officer of Maddocks, an independent Australian law firm with offices in Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra. Michelle was appointed as CEO of Maddocks in 2014 after 13 years as a partner and 8 years as leader of the firm's commercial disputes team.

Michelle's leadership has seen the firm continue to grow and to lead the way on issues such as gender equality and diversity. During her time as CEO, Maddocks has been recognised as an Employer of Choice for Gender Equality by the Workplace Gender Equity Agency (WGEA) each year. Her leadership led Michelle to be named one of the Australian Financial Review's 100 Women of Influence in 2015.

In 2016, Michelle was awarded the Victorian Award for Excellence in Women's Leadership, an initiative by Women and Leadership Australia that recognises the contribution of a woman in elevating the visibility and importance of Australian women receiving equitable access to higher levels of leadership. She was also named Executive of the Year at the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards in 2016.

She is an ambassador for the WGEA 'In Your Hands' initiative for pay equity and is a champion of the Maddocks Women initiative, set up to help the firm's female employees with their professional development and to promote the firm as an innovative and responsive employer for women.

Prior to her tenure as CEO, Michelle worked in a wide range of disputes with a particular focus on corporations matters, competition claims and trusts disputes. She has also acted in a number of disputes involving administrative and constitutional law issues. She has acted in proceedings before both State and Federal Courts, the High Court, before specialist tribunals, in Royal Commissions and in a range of arbitrations. Her experience spans both private sector companies, as well as public sector clients, including government departments, state-owned businesses and statutory authorities.

Areas of Expertise