Janine Smith

Janine is a NSW Law Society Accredited Specialist in Employment and Industrial Law. She regularly advises and represents both employers and employees across the full spectrum of employment related matters including contractual drafting, negotiations and disputes; workplace investigations; restructuring and redundancy; unfair dismissal; general protections/workplace rights; discrimination; and post-employment restraints.

Janine also has extensive experience in the area of work health and safety, having previously acted for the prosecuting authority in NSW. She now advises and represents organisations and individuals facing investigation and/or prosecution following workplace incidents. She also provides seminars to employers and boards regarding compliance with WHS law, including the obligations imposed on senior managers and other officers.

Janine is responsible for leading the workplace relations team. Her clients include a wide range of stakeholders in workplace relations – employers, employees and contractors, representative bodies, government and not-for-profit organisations.

Janine conducts litigation dealing with employment, commercial and other disputes in courts including the Federal, Supreme, Industrial and District Courts of NSW. Janine also has considerable experience in representing clients involved in disciplinary proceedings before specialist tribunals.

“The diversity of my practice is extraordinary: my clients include large corporations and government departments, not-for-profit organisations and individuals of varying means. The work ranges from non-contentious advice to large scale litigation and everything in between. No two days are the same. There are few law firms where you can get that kind of diversity of experience, on an ongoing basis. It makes me a better lawyer which in turn advantages our clients.”

Key Professional Achievements

• Janine has a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Laws degree from University of Sydney.
• In 2012 she completed a Master of Laws degree at the University of Sydney, specialising in Workplace Relations Law.
• She is a co-convenor of the NSW Chapter of the Australian Labour Law Association and a longstanding member of the Women Lawyers’ Association of NSW.
• Janine was made a Partner at Carroll & O’Dea Lawyers in October 2018.
• Janine is an Accredited Specialist in Employment and Industrial Law, awarded by the Law Society of NSW.

• Janine is listed in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Doyle’s Guides as a ‘Recommended’ practitioner in the area of Leading Employment Lawyers (Employee and Trade Union Representation) – NSW.