Rob Jackson

Rob Jackson is the principal lawyer and founder of Rob Jackson Legal. He has practised law in Melbourne for over 30 years, admitted as a solicitor and barrister in Victoria in 1997. He has spent the last 20+ years in partner and principal roles heading workplace relations teams, most recently at Rigby Cooke Lawyers.  He is listed as Recommended in the 2026 Doyle's Guide for Leading Employment Lawyers (Employer Representation) in Victoria.

Rob was among the first lawyers accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as a Workplace Relations specialist, in 2002, and later added an accreditation in Commercial Litigation in 2012. He was one of the founders of the Law Institute’s Workplace Relations Committee, writing and setting exams for aspiring specialists.

Rob holds a Master of Intellectual Property Law from Monash University and is the author of Post-Employment Restraint of Trade (Federation Press).

Before coming to Australia, Rob was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in 1992. He initially worked in criminal defence and employment law. This included working as a Police Station and Duty Court solicitor. His commitment to access to justice goes back to volunteering at a community law centre in West London in the 1980s, and continues today through long-term volunteer work with Refugee Legal and as a coordinator of the Hungarian Lawyers Society in Melbourne.

He advises

• employers throughout all stages of the employment relationship, including hiring and contract review, performance management, and misconduct investigations through to resignation, dismissal and upholding post-employment obligations in relation to unlawful competition, protecting confidential information and intellectual property rights

• executives reviewing employment offers, defending performance and misconduct allegations, and litigating dismissal and redundancy decisions

• on various issues such as negotiating executive exits and settlement agreements, drafting and enforcing post-employment restraints, bonus, commission, and incentive plan (STIP/LTIP) disputes, workplace investigations, intellectual property ownership arising from employment, including copyright and confidential information, reputation and governance.