Speak to us before you do anything.
Confidential, strategic advice for executives and professionals. Most matters resolve without litigation. We act only for the individual, never the employer.
Speaking with us commits you to nothing. You decide what happens next, including deciding to do nothing at all.
Sexual harassment is any unwelcome sexual conduct (an advance, a comment, a request) that leaves you offended, humiliated or intimidated. It rarely announces itself. It can look like:
You do not need to decide whether it legally constitutes sexual harassment before speaking with us. That is part of the advice we provide.
Most people don't. You might have laughed because it was easier than the alternative. Replied politely, because they sign off on your bonus, your reference, your career. Changed the subject. Stayed friendly. Said nothing at all.
How you coped with it in the moment does not make the conduct acceptable.
When someone holds power over your income and your reputation, "just tell them to stop" was never a realistic option, and the law does not require you to have objected at the time. If you're second-guessing your own reactions, that is usually a reason to get advice, not a reason to stay silent.
A CEO, director, partner or executive.
Messages, emails, images, a clear account.
Anxiety, depression or sleeplessness.
You want it resolved. Privately.
Or damaged beyond repair.
"You want your leverage understood, your career protected, and this resolved. Not dragged through court."
Commercial. Confidential. Rarely litigated.Formal complaints, investigations, tribunals and litigation all exist, but none of them is automatically the first step. The right strategy depends on your circumstances and what you want to happen.
Privately assess what happened, the evidence available, and where you actually stand.
Preserve the evidence and protect your employment and legal position before anything else moves.
Weigh the realistic pathways: internal resolution, negotiated departure, complaint, conciliation or proceedings.
Where appropriate, pursue a confidential commercial resolution, on your instructions and at your pace.
Nothing happens without your instructions. You decide what happens next, including deciding to do nothing at all.
People come to us wanting very different things. All of these are legitimate objectives, and the strategy is built around yours, not around what a lawyer thinks a case should look like.
We act exclusively for individuals, never employers. There is no version of this where we're across the table from you.
These disputes are about reputation, career, leverage and negotiation, not just legal doctrine. That is the lens we bring.
You deal directly with the lawyer responsible for your matter. No handoffs, no juniors learning on your file.
Sensitive matters are handled confidentially and deliberately, at every step.
Andrew is the Principal Lawyer of M1 Advisory, an incorporated legal practice in Sydney. His background is in commercial negotiation, dispute resolution and settlement, advising on serious, high-stakes matters and dealing directly with senior management and sophisticated counterparties.
M1 Workplace Advisory applies that same approach to serious workplace matters: assess the evidence, understand the leverage, and resolve the matter deliberately.
Yes. Speaking with us is confidential. Nothing is communicated to your employer, or anyone else, without your instructions.
No. M1 Workplace Advisory acts only for individuals, never employers. We are only ever on your side of the table.
Broadly, sexual harassment is unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature (advances, requests, comments, messages, images) in circumstances where a reasonable person would anticipate you'd be offended, humiliated or intimidated. You don't need to have worked out the legal answer before contacting us. That's part of what the first conversation is for.
Yes, it can. Conduct over messages, email and social media can amount to workplace sexual harassment, including outside office hours, where it's connected to work. Messages are also often the strongest evidence. Keep them.
Seniority doesn't excuse the conduct, but it does change the dynamics, the risks and the strategy. Matters involving senior people are exactly the matters we focus on, and they often carry the strongest incentive for a discreet, negotiated resolution.
How you coped in the moment doesn't make the conduct acceptable, and the law does not require you to have objected at the time. Power imbalance is real, and it shapes how people respond. See the section above, and don't let this question stop you from getting advice.
Not necessarily. An internal complaint is one option among several, and in some situations it isn't the right first move. What's right depends on your circumstances, your evidence, and what you want to achieve.
Get advice before you resign. Resigning can affect your options and your leverage, and in many situations there are better paths, including negotiated departures on proper terms.
Keep messages, emails, images and any notes of what happened and when. Dates matter. Be careful about forwarding work material to personal accounts before getting advice, as this can create its own issues. We'll tell you exactly what to preserve and how.
Often, yes. Many serious workplace matters resolve through confidential negotiation rather than public proceedings. No outcome can be guaranteed, but confidential resolution is usually where we start, not litigation.
Strict time limits apply to some legal pathways, and they differ depending on the avenue. Getting advice early keeps all of your options open, even if you then decide to do nothing for now.
The first step is a fixed-fee confidential case assessment, confirmed with you before you commit to anything. There are no surprise costs and no obligation to go further.
A confidential case assessment: a structured conversation, a review of your evidence, and a direct answer on where you stand.
Three fields. That's all we need to start.