Daria McLachlan
Special CounselAbout Daria
Daria is an employment and work health and safety (WHS) lawyer. In her nine years of practice, she has achieved significant outcomes for clients in state and federal jurisdictions including defending unfair dismissals, assisting clients facing safety prosecutions and settling discrimination claims negating the need for trial.
What she does
Daria's on-site and court experience enable her to achieve quick outcomes for clients that save time and hassle. She helps employers with their safety compliance, which includes advising on WHS policies and procedures and providing on-site training.
If a client faces WHS charges, Daria attends site, conducts investigations, corresponds with Safework SA and guides employers through the avenues available to defend prosecutions. Daria also assists clients with employment and contractor agreements, including advising on restraint of trade provisions.
Daria also works collaboratively with clients across a range of sectors in the Northern Territory (NT). Having spent time in the NT, Daria has a focus on helping to empower NT-based employers and insurers and support businesses through offering straightforward and commercial advice.
Who she works with
Daria assists CEOs and senior managers, claims managers and HR representatives in the entertainment, mining, retail, insurance, manufacturing, financial, government and education sectors.
What her clients say
Finalist for the Senior Associate of the Year Award in the 2015 Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards.
Qualifications
Daria has a Bachelor of Law & a Bachelor of Biotechnology from Flinders University.
Life before Sparkes
Before joining Sparke Helmore in early 2012, Daria worked in Lynch Meyer's employment and litigation team where, in addition to her workplace law focus, she also gained considerable experience in aged care and privacy law.
Life outside of Sparkes
Daria is a 200-game veteran of the City Coasters Netball Club and is the Secretary of the Adelaide Metropolitan Netball Division, which runs the metropolitan netball competition in Adelaide. A country girl at heart, Daria grew up amongst the wheat and barley fields on her family's farm near Wudinna on the Eyre Peninsula.
