What People Say About Max & His Trusted Employment Advisor Service

Redundancy & Exit Strategy

Thanks so much Max for all your amazing help and support - it really meant so much to me. I felt immediately relieved once we had talked on the telephone! I had googled all sorts of things, but a lot came up with either HR support for the employer or legal firms for the employee. I found nothing like anything you provide to people like me with difficulties at work. I am sure I am not the only one who feels like they’ve got no one to turn to. I think it’s more common than ever that HR works almost exclusively for the employer and rarely for the employee. Your support and guidance throughout my redundancy journey gave me the confidence to personally navigate a positive outcome.
Tara
I was referred to Max Kimber by a family friend during a challenging situation with my former employer. After resigning, I was dismissed and faced an aggressive non-compete enforcement notice. Uncertain of the next steps and reluctant to hire a solicitor, I turned to Max. Max provided thorough, diligent guidance and was a supportive voice during this stressful time. He helped me approach my former employer with an appropriate and sensible strategy, leading to a much better outcome than I could have achieved alone. I highly recommend Max's services to anyone facing a similar workplace predicament.
Adam
As a small business owner, Max was instrumental in resolving a complex and stressful situation for me professionally. We had a senior team member under performance management who ended up on workers' compensation before we could act on their termination clause. Retaining the individual until they could return to work was likely to exceed the contract's duration, making the situation highly stressful and finding reliable help impossible. Max understood the situation and our objectives, offering practical advice, focused on separating the parties without harm. We negotiated a clean exit with that team member, Max's advice removed risk, relieved stress, and achieved an outcome I couldn't have reached without him.
Craig

Workplace Bullying & Culture

You are so unprepared for these moments, and your mind doesn’t work. Having a friendly, experienced, honest and very intelligent person like Max on your side made those worries disappear. I felt confident and supported. The plan he suggested worked, and I was able to achieve a good result from my employer, without getting involved in a legal fight. Every professional should save Max’s number just in case- when the day comes there is no one better to help you.
Chris
I was having family and other issues and didn’t know where to start in choosing lawyers to advise and represent me. When an old friend told me to call Max, I couldn’t believe I could get immediate access to such a Senior Silk! Usually you can only see “the tip of the spear” once solicitors are hired and big dollars are spent. Max listened to my story and quickly assessed my needs and referred me to expert solicitors that he knew well and trusted. They have been great! Eternally grateful to you Max.
Misho
Max Kimber was a life saver. I was faced with complex employment issues with wide ranging possible impacts. He understood my predicament, gave me sage “life” advice and helped me navigate a path forward, that was then pursued with great expertise by the experienced solicitor Max referred me to, to a successful outcome. I’m living my best life today because of the guidance Max provided. His capacity to assess employment problems holistically, suggest options and solutions and his ability to select the right lawyers to manage the legal issues that can arise is a vast range of employment problems, is unique and unparalleled in this field. I unreservedly recommend Max to you with enthusiasm. You can trust he will lower your stress levels and guide you in the right direction, whether with or without the assistance of other professionals.
Kerry

Partnership & SME Dispute Resolution

I would have no hesitation in commending the services of Max Kimber SC as a mediator of any disputes in the workplace relations arena. In my view, effective mediation requires persistence and a genuine commitment to assist the parties to resolve their differences: attributes that Max has displayed in every mediation in which I have had him involved. Importantly, Max has an ability to get across the issues in sufficient depth while not allowing the mediation to become "bogged down” in that detail. His willingness to express a view is also greatly appreciated by clients and practitioners alike.
Joydeep
I have been involved in a number of disputes mediated by Max Kimber and have no hesitation in recommending him to others. Max, as a mediator, stands out to me in the preparation he makes before the formal mediation; seeking to fully understand the position from which both parties are coming before the mediation commences and taking the time to understand the issues currently in play preventing resolution. During mediation Max demonstrates an appropriate gravitas which lends weight to the process and skilfully explores all avenues to bring the parties to an agreed resolution. I can’t recommend him highly enough.
Roland
Max Kimber SC is a mediator of the highest order who can approach the resolution of a dispute from many different angles. Max is holistic, creative and tenacious in his attempts to secure a practical outcome which all parties can live with. Most importantly Max has a pragmatic and down to earth approach which allows him to interact with empathy with parties from all walks of life and to identify with their nuanced need for closure. I would highly recommend Max as a mediator for any dispute.
Michael
I highly recommend Mr Kimber as a mediator. I have used him in the context of industrial law matters and also in a defamation matter. He has a very ‘down to earth’ approach with lay clients, strong acumen and an ability to get to the heart of the core issues quickly. He successfully mediated matters including one that he continued to assist the parties with from his chambers over a series of days after the mediation, and by making himself available to continue the discussions in this way, he was instrumental in resolving a 5 year dispute that had very little prospects of resolving. My clients were equally impressed with him. I look forward to continuing to engage him in the future.
Flo
We find Max to be a most effective mediator, who demonstrates a particular capacity to understand complex employment and industrial relations issues. His persistence and unfailing politeness in often difficult circumstances has been demonstrated in a variety of private and Court appointed mediations. We have no difficulty in recommending Max as a mediator.
Paul
Max Kimber SC is the most proactive mediator I have ever worked with. Before allowing a mediation to fail, Max will do everything he can to achieve the resolution of a dispute, even if that involves dealing with the parties directly days, weeks or even months after the mediation. Although Max is well known for his expertise in industrial and employment law, we have had Max mediate many different kinds of commercial disputes with success including contract, trade practices, intellectual property and property matters. I am happy to engage Max to mediate almost any dispute. Max knows how to relate to people, whatever their background. All clients want to feel the mediator understands the dispute but also that he or she understands them. I have had many clients compliment Max on his ability to understand their needs and the stress that ordinary people caught up in litigation suffer. Having worked with dozens of mediators in hundreds of disputes over the last 25 years, I have no hesitation in saying Max is one of the very best and most able mediators that I have worked with.
Scott

Executive & Management Coaching

A close friend told me to call Max Kimber about my employment problems and so I did. Max brings his exceptional capacity to read layers of complexity within an employment landscape. From a few directed and probing questions Max brings to bear his charm, expertise and a crisp, yet also empathetic, communication style. Max can deliver hard facts, with optimal solutions so that intractable situations have best solutions. Finally, Max is energetic, passionate and analytical.
Jill
Max Kimber SC was recommended to me when I was Church President to facilitate the resolution of an ongoing conflict involving members of the senior Executive Staff in one region of the Church. He was able to negotiate a process that did not involve lawyers being engaged by either side. Max spoke to all affected parties and then designed a process to suit the circumstances and the Church’s goals. Max demonstrated a remarkable ability to quickly develop a clear understanding not only of the Constitution and Regulations of the Church, but also our corporate culture. He quickly built trust with all the affected parties and was able to understand the conflict from their different perspectives. He designed a process that was fair and respectful of all the parties, and also finely tuned to achieve an outcome acceptable to each of them and an end to the specific conflict. I found him to be highly experienced and skilled, professional and personable – an excellent collaborator in the very difficult situation that I was seeking to have resolved. I would have no hesitation in using Max again in such a situation or in recommending him to others as a mediator.
Andrew
Thank you Max for your expertise, personal skills and generosity of time in providing executive coaching to our management team in dispute resolution and effective communication skills. Your advice and professional coaching meant that, in practice, we were able to diffuse a potential conflict through early intervention. Thanks to your assistance, we were able to elicit and better understand the concerns and needs of all stakeholders, then implement a structured process whereby these were openly discussed and considered, which led to a positive and amicable outcome. This process has highlighted to me the benefit of early involvement in dispute resolution to help prevent miscommunication and escalation of issues. We are very grateful for your help and support, and will be in touch should we need your professional assistance in the future.
Kerry

Legal & Industry Peer Endorsements

Over the years I have recommended and engaged Max Kimber SC as a preferred and experienced mediator in a wide range of complex and challenging executive and workplace dispute matters for my large corporate and government clients. His personable and no-nonsense approach converts to an ease of business in the planning and engagement stages for mediation assignments. Max’s excellent rapport with parties from all walks of life, coupled with his well-honed mediation skills, help parties get to the real heart of disputes, sometimes without them realising that Max has facilitated the understanding – always a sign of a good mediator.
Darren
Max Kimber SC has my strong support as an extremely effective and committed mediator. Max is an active mediator and works hard to ensure the parties identify, tease out and then address the real issues in dispute. Max is a forceful negotiator and persuasive advocate and brings these skills to the mediation room. He has a formidable knowledge of all employment related matters be they statutory or common law. Max effectively addresses all parties at the mediation, not only the lawyers. Most importantly Max knows how to achieve results and bring about a resolution at mediation.
Steven
Max learnt early the advantage to parties in the early settlement of differences by agreement. Litigation is a very expensive and inefficient means of dispute resolution. As Max’s practice at the bar expanded he has continued to advocate early, and if possible, pre litigation intervention of this kind. In my practice I have most recently engaged Max to successfully mediate a dispute between joint venturers with a 20 year history; litigating that history was avoided. Max was my first choice, and that of my opponent in mediating before the commencement of proceedings, a class action by 23 franchisees in a federal government owned corporation with a national reach. Each claimant had similar but different claims. All claims were resolved on a template negotiated at that mediation and on terms where the business relationship was preserved for those franchisees choosing to remain in the system. Max is an excellent choice as a mediator, he is passionate about facilitating early settlement opportunities including if possible to avoid escalation into litigation. I am happy to expand upon these comments as required.
Bryan