Harmers Workplace Lawyers has appointed employment lawyer Lesley Maclou to partnership at the firm's Melbourne office.

Maclou said she was attracted to Harmers because she wanted to have greater personal involvement in how her practice is run, her service and relationships with clients. "One of the main reasons I joined Harmers was that I wanted to have a greater personal involvement in the business, client relationships and service as well as continue to deal with international, national and local clients across a variety of industries and sectors. I also wanted to work with Australia's leading employment specialist law firm" she said.

She has 10 years' expertise in workplace relations, commercial and corporate law, across multiple jurisdictions including Australia, UK, US, EMEA and Asia. She originally qualified in NSW and before joining Harmers she worked in the UK, establishing an employment law facility in Minter Ellison's London office and as a director of boutique firm Spring Law, heading its employment practice.

She believes the working culture in the UK differs to that in Australia: "It is slightly more informal without compromising quality and professionalism. Australian firms are often a lot more direct in attempting to resolve matters commercially, while many UK firms can be more traditional in their approach.. We often have more of a consultative focus," she said.

Some of her UK clients have also moved with her to Harmers and, together with the firm's national practice, she looks forward to take the firm's Melbourne office to a completely new level.

Harmers was established in 1996 by Michael Harmer who moved from Freehills.