Melissa Scadden

Melissa Scadden is the Managing Partner at Justitia Lawyers & Consultants, where she leads with a focus on comprehensive employment law matters. Her expertise encompasses advising employers across the private sector in diverse industries such as education, government, healthcare, and professional services. Melissa is dedicated to fostering thriving workplaces by adopting proactive strategies rather than merely mitigating risks. Her legal journey includes in-house experience both in Australia and internationally, providing her with the unique ability to add tangible value to client relationships beyond traditional legal counsel. Melissa's career highlights involve advising on intricate employment-related issues, including business restructures, workplace investigations, post-employment restraints, and FWC proceedings. She is also proficient in mediation and regularly conducts workplace training programs. Melissa's recent work showcases her adept handling of sensitive and complex cases. These include managing Code of Conduct breaches, acting in Federal Court proceedings for professional associations, and advising educational boards on executive complaints. Her role in significant projects involves overseeing workplace reviews, managing leadership team transitions, and mitigating risks in industrial actions. Before her leadership role at Justitia, Melissa held pivotal positions including Partner and Senior Associate, providing extensive advice on industrial relations and employment litigation. Her experience as a legal secondee at Linfox Armaguard and ExxonMobil further honed her capabilities in managing enterprise bargaining, performance management, and due diligence in employment law implications. Melissa's educational foundation was laid at the University of Melbourne with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology, followed by legal qualifications from BPP Law School. Her professional trajectory is distinguished by her commitment to improving legal and workplace environments through her nuanced understanding of employment law.