Tony Macken 

Founder and Principal of A. J Macken & Co. Tony Macken carries with him over 40 years of experience in the law advising on employment, industrial, administrative and constitutional law matters. Tony has become one of the most well known and experienced leaders in employment and industrial Law.

Tony has lectured widely on Employment Issues and contributed to Halsbury’s Laws of Australia. In person or under his guidance, many of the groundbreaking employment law cases have been argued by the Firm. Tony is driven by a keen sense of justice and is a firm believer in the law as the mediator of the just settlement of disputes that delivers a "fair go all round".

The experience of the Firm is that every problem, especially the seemingly intractable, on analysis contains within itself the seeds of its own solution.  The Firm’s particular strength is problem solving and policy formation.

DOMINIC MACKEN

Dominic Macken has over twenty-five years’ experience practising principally in employment law advising both employers and Senior Executives on all aspects of their employment relationship or its termination.

Dominic is an experienced commercial litigator with a strong record of outcomes in relation to breach of contract and breach of statutory/fiduciary duty claims and Australian consumer law actions (misleading and deceptive conduct).   He conducts litigation primarily in the County Court of Victoria, Supreme Court of Victoria and the Federal Court of Australia and in appellate Courts.  He has also conducted unfair dismissal and general protections (adverse action) applications in the Fair Work Commission and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.

Dominic also accepts instructions to appear, instruct or advise on industrial law issues arising in the Fair Work Commission and Federal Court of Australia for both employer and employees across a range of industries including on behalf of one of Australia’s largest trade union as well as for a range of smaller or specialist organisations and enterprises.

Dominic was admitted to practice in June 1991 after graduating with honours in both Arts (Classics – First Class) and Law from the University of Melbourne.   He spent three years with a major commercial law firm before joining A.J. Macken & Co in October 1993.

Dominic was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tobin Brothers Funerals effective from 1 November 2017.

CHRISSIE MACKEN

Chrissie has over 20 years of experience, practising principally in employment law advising both employees and employers in the banking, finance, education, energy, local and state government and not for profit sectors. 

Chrissie adopts a strategic approach to problem solving and enjoys working with clients to identify what outcome is most important to them and how best this can be achieved, taking into account a practical costs-benefit analysis. 

Chrissie Macken was admitted to practice in November 1992 after graduating with a degree in Arts (Hons) and Law from the University of Melbourne.  She joined A.J. Macken & Co after three years working as a Research Officer/Organiser for an industrial organisation.   Chrissie has also instructed postgraduate students in Employment Law as part of a Practical Training Course.

MELISSA MACKEN

Melissa has over twenty years’ experience practising primarily in the area of employment law.

She advises senior executives in relation to proposed terms of contracts on commencing new employment and in respect of entitlements on termination.   She is available to advise senior executives in their own negotiations with employers or to engage with the employer or its legal representative directly to endeavour to resolve issues between them.   Where the issues between the parties are unable to be resolved through negotiation Melissa conducts litigation on behalf of her clients.   She conducts litigation primarily in the Supreme Court of Victoria, the County Court of Victoria, the Federal Court of Australia and in appellate jurisdictions.    Her clients include senior executives employed in the areas of banking, finance, media, the arts and health amongst others.

Melissa also advises employers in relation to terms of contracts of employment and in respect of issues relating to the proper termination of the employment of employees. 

Melissa has degrees in Arts and in Law from the University of Melbourne.  She has represented Victorian solicitors as an elected Council Member of the Law Institute of Victoria and as a Director of Victorian Lawyers RPA Limited.  She served as Chair of the Ethics Committee of the Law Institute of Victoria/Victorian Lawyers Pty Ltd between 1997 -2002 and continues as a member of that Committee.  She was awarded a Certificate of Service by the Law Institute of Victoria.  Melissa was Rapporteur and Chair of an Ethics Session at the 13th Commonwealth Law Conference in 2003.  She has guest lectured at the Monash University and Deakin University Law Schools, written numerous published articles on employment law and related areas and appeared in the Law Institute of Victoria educational DVD, LIVing Ethics in 2016.