Drew Pearson

Managing Partner, Sydney Office

Sydney Australia

Drew is an experienced employment lawyer who works strategically and empathetically with clients to achieve their people related objectives

Drew has a wealth of experience working with clients on individual and collective employment issues in Australia and across the globe and leads our NSW industrial relations practice. In addition, Drew is known for his workplace conduct experience, taking a people-centric approach to resolving complex workplace issues. Drew is the Managing Partner of our Sydney office.

Accolades

In 2024 Drew was a finalist in the Employment Partner of the Year category Lawyer’s Weekly annual awards.

Background

Drew regularly assists clients on industrial relations matters including collective bargaining strategies and disputes in the energy, finance, mining and allied health industries.

He has worked on various landmark transactions, including acting for Suncorp on the sale of its banking business to ANZ.

Drew has worked with multiple ASX 30 companies to review their payroll compliance, remediate any identified non-compliances and to engage with the Fair Work Ombudsman. He has successfully achieved non-litigious enforcement outcomes, including multiple Enforceable Undertakings for clients.

In addition to his time in private practice, Drew worked on secondment with BHP during 2023/2024 and helped lead the establishment of their Strategic Projects Legal Team.

Drew joined Freehills in 2006, following two years as the Associate to the Hon Justice EM Heenan of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.

He is a Non-executive Director of Starlight Childrens Foundation and sits on the Pride in Diversity Executive Advisory Board and the Law Society of NSW Ethics Committee.

Experience & expertise

Selected matters

advising Suncorp in relation to the sale of its banking business to ANZ and various employment / industrial matters
advising BHP on collective bargaining and employee relations issues
advising a number of ASX30 clients on payroll compliance reviews, remediation programs and regulatory engagement issues
acting for Expedia on transformational change initiatives across the Asia-Pacific
developing and delivering commercially relevant and appropriate training in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific on workplace relations issues
advising on complex workplace investigations, including in highly regulated environments using people-centric approaches
representing employers in industrial litigation in the Supreme, Federal and High Courts and industrial tribunals