Slater and Gordon chief executive Dina Tutungi approved a payout of at least five months for convicted fraudster and former payroll manager Bridgett Maddox after she was suspended for improperly allocating a $200 gift voucher.

According to two sources with direct knowledge of events, who spoke to The Australian Financial Review on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters within the firm, Maddox was paid at least $60,000 by Slater and Gordon after she engaged lawyers from Maurice Blackburn to represent her in a workplace dispute over her suspension in November.