About Me

Benedict Coyne is specialist in employment, industrial and workplace law and a passionate advocate for human rights. Prior to his call to the Bar, Benedict was an Accredited Specialist in Workplace Relations through the Queensland Law Society (QLS) and the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV).

Benedict has a nation-wide practice focusing on employment law and public law/human rights litigation including, inter alia, administrative law, class actions, discrimination law, and tort claims. Benedict has wide-ranging experience in representing both employers and employees in various types of employment matters in multiple state and federal jurisdictions. Benedict has appeared led and unled in the Federal Court of Australia, the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, the Supreme Court of Queensland, the District Court of Queensland and other courts in employment / industrial, public and criminal law matters. Benedict is regularly briefed to run matters in the State and Federal Courts, the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC), the Fair Work Commission, and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).

Benedict draws on a decade of diverse, varied and innovative litigation experience at national preeminent law firms and more recently as Executive Counsel and Special Counsel respectively at two boutique Queensland law firms listed in Doyle’s Guide. Benedict also has experience in criminal prosecution and defence, and is briefed to appear in coronial inquests. He has experience as a solicitor in child protection matters and appearing in Royal Commissions and Commissions of Inquiry.

Prior to being called to the private Bar, Benedict practised as a solicitor in Brisbane working for a national class actions firm and a specialist Queensland employment law and discrimination law firm. While practising as a solicitor, Benedict successfully obtained Specialist Accreditation in Workplace Relations Law from the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) and the Queensland Law Society (QLS) which he maintains at the Private Bar. Benedict was previously Associate to Justice Mordy Bromberg on the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne and national president of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR) for two consecutive terms. Benedict completed his Masters in International Human Rights Law at the University of Oxford with Distinction. In 2021 Benedict was appointed as a Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal for a three-year appointment.

Prior to being called to the Bar, Benedict successfully obtained Specialist Accreditation in Workplace Relations Law from the Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) and the Queensland Law Society (QLS). Benedict has experience in representing both employers and employees in matters in multiple jurisdictions including the Federal Courts, the State Courts, the Fair Work Commission, the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission (QIRC), the Australian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) and the Queensland Human Rights Commission (QHRC). In 2021 Benedict was appointed by the Governor-in-Council as a part-time Member of the Mental Health Review Tribunal (MHRT).

Benedict is currently briefed in a number of class actions and was recently briefed in the Western Australian Stolen Wages/Slavery class action (led by William Edwards and Joshua Creamer of Counsel), the Ms Julieka Dhu class action (filed in the Federal Court in Perth), the Channel 9 Palm Island section 18C Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth) class action (filed in the Federal Court in Melbourne/Sydney) the Banksia Hill Detention Centre AHRC Group Complaint/ class action. Benedict has been briefed to investigate and advise on prospects of a class action into Pacific Labour Scheme. Benedict is currently briefed to investigate a range of other class actions in human rights, privacy rights and digital technologies, extraterritorial liability of Australian mining companies and mass sexual harassment and disability discrimination class actions against prominent Australian institutions.

At the completion of his graduate law degree, Benedict graduated with first class Honours and was awarded the University Medal and a number of academic awards from the NSW Bar Association for outstanding academic achievement. Benedict then served for a year as Associate to the Hon. Justice Mordy Bromberg on the Federal Court of Australia in Melbourne during which time he developed a strong interest in workplace and industrial law and the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), particularly section 18C. Prior to his Associateship, Benedict was employed at the Fair Work Ombudsman whilst completing his law degree (LLB).

Benedict subsequently completed a Masters (MSt) in International Human Rights Law (IHRL) at the University of Oxford, graduating with highest level distinction. Following that, with a number of colleagues from his Masters cohort he helped setup an international business and human rights consultancy, Synceritas.

Between 2016 - 2018, Benedict served two consecutive terms as national president of Australian Lawyers for Human Rights (ALHR), a national network of Australian solicitors, barristers, academics, judicial officers and law students who practise and promote international human rights law in Australia.

Combining the subject matter of his Masters dissertation and his work with ALHR, in February 2015 Benedict established and co-led the campaign for a Queensland Human Rights Act which after a sustained campaign of over four years achieved the passage of the Human Rights Act 2019 (Qld).