Melbourne lawyer George Haros in legal wrangle
He helped Israel Folau take on Rugby Australia, but now Folau’s legal attack dog George Haros is in a legal wrangle of his own with a plot line straight out of Jerry Maguire.
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Page 13’s story last month about Israel Folau and wife Maria expecting a baby has revealed what may lead to a pregnant pause in the rugby star’s legal wrangles.
Folau has only recently resolved being sacked by Rugby Australia following his anti-gay rants.
Sort of.
The former Wallabies star sued Rugby Australia for $14 million after Rugby Australia tore up his $5-million plus contract when he wrote on social media that “hell awaits” gay people.
The rugby champion, a devout Christian, doubled down with a rant from the pulpit saying “the devil” was trying to influence children and their parents.
Rugby Australia said Folau breached its code of conduct and Folau claimed religious discrimination. The legal niceties were sorted out with the help of Folau’s Melbourne attack dog George Haros.
Now the Melbourne-based lawyer is in a legal wrangle of his own.
The workplace-relations solicitor is on gardening leave from Melbourne law firm Macpherson Kelley before he joins forces with the Australian branch of renowned UK law firm, DWF.
But which clients and staff go with him and which ones stay?
Sounds like the plot line from Jerry Maguire, the movie about sports agent Tom Cruise and his old employer arguing about who gets to keep their high-profile clients.
In the movie, Cruise was fired but it’s Haros who has dumped M+K.
Macpherson Kelly prides itself on being a firm with “no robots, just good humans and brilliant lawyers” and is none too happy at the prospect of losing paying clients.
Haros, the protégé of leading society silk Stuart Wood, is a rainmaker who represented IVF baby whisperer Dr Lynn Burmeister when she took on Monash Hospital, Liz Cambage, Anthony Koutoufides, is apparently playing a key role in the St Kevin’s College mess, acted in drugs in sports cases, as well as a suite of blue chip corporate clients.
So, what does a lawyer do when personal litigation looms? He brings in his own guns for hire.
Page 13 understands war horse Sam Bond is representing M+K while Haros has employed Leon Zwier.
Zwier is known as Mr Fixit among the legal fraternity and represented Gillon McLachlan when he fronted a parliamentary inquiry examining whether Peter Dutton overstepped his authority in granting visas to two European au pairs in “nannygate.”
There’s a lot of work out there.
A workplace-relations lawyer is just what companies like Qantas, or their thousands of stood-down employees might need — especially now.
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