Legal advice and representation for people experiencing sexual harassment and discrimination.
Melanie Schleiger Legal is a specialist sexual harassment and discrimination law practice, dedicated to advancing equality and creating safer, fairer communities and workplaces.
Melanie provides strategic legal advice and representation to people who have experienced sexual harassment or discrimination, drawing on decades of experience. She provides sensitive, trauma-informed advice in a confidential setting.
You do not need to know whether what happened was unlawful or decide what outcome you want before seeking advice. Melanie can help you understand your options and make an informed choice about what to do next.
Our Services
You may be looking for advice because…
your manager or co-worker keeps making sexual comments or behaving in a way that makes you uncomfortable
you complained and are now being excluded, treated differently or pushed out
you are being treated badly because you are pregnant or have caring responsibilities or because of your race or gender
something happened at work and you think it might be sexual harassment or discrimination
you want advice before speaking to HR or making a formal complaint
you are thinking about leaving your job and want to understand your options first
Sexual Harrassment
If you have experienced sexual harassment at work or elsewhere, you may be unsure whether what happened was unlawful, whether you should make a complaint, or what your options are. You do not need to know the answers to these questions or decide that you want to take legal action before seeking advice.
Melanie provides confidential advice to people experiencing workplace sexual harassment, including unwanted sexual conduct, inappropriate sexual comments or messages, sexualised workplace behaviour, harassment by a colleague, manager, client or other person at work, and being treated badly for speaking up or making a complaint.
Discrimination
Melanie advises and represents people who have experienced sex discrimination and other unlawful discrimination. This includes discrimination based on sex, gender, pregnancy, breastfeeding, family or caring responsibilities, disability, race, age, sexual orientation and other protected attributes, as well as retaliation for raising concerns or making a complaint (also known as ‘victimisation’).
Discrimination and sexual harassment can occur in many areas of public life. Melanie can advise in matters involving employment, education, goods and services including public services, accommodation and other protected areas of life.
-
Depending on your circumstances and what you want to achieve, Melanie can help you:
understand if conduct is unlawful sexual harassment or discrimination
understand your legal rights, options, time limits and possible remedies
identify the outcomes that matter to you and develop a legal strategy
respond to conduct that is continuing
prepare an internal complaint to an employer or other organisation
negotiate directly with an employer, organisation or other party
prepare complaints to the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, the Australian Human Rights Commission or the Fair Work Commission
participate in conciliation, mediation and other dispute resolution processes
commence and conduct court or tribunal proceedings.
-
Discrimination and sexual harassment matters can involve overlapping Victorian and Commonwealth laws and more than one possible complaint or legal pathway. The procedures, legal tests, remedies, time limits and potential costs can differ.
Choosing where and how to make a complaint can affect the options available to you later. If possible, seek advice before lodging a formal complaint or application, especially if you are unsure which pathway best fits what you want to achieve. Melanie can help you work out the best place to start.
-
Melanie Schleiger is a Melbourne-based sexual harassment and discrimination lawyer with 20 years of experience helping people understand and enforce their rights.
She spent over a decade leading Victoria Legal Aid’s specialist discrimination law service, the Equality Law Program, and is nationally recognised for her work on sexual harassment law reform and discrimination law.
-
Experiencing sexual harassment or discrimination can affect your work, career, financial security, health and relationships. Deciding what to do about it can also be difficult.
There are many possible ways to respond.
Melanie’s role is to provide clear, expert legal advice while giving you the time and information you need to make the best decisions for you. She works with clients to identify what matters to them – whether that is stopping harmful conduct, protecting their employment, obtaining compensation, negotiating an exit, achieving accountability, repairing relationships or creating broader change – and develop a strategy that reflects those goals.
If you find it hard to talk about what happened to you, please let Melanie know so she can discuss ways to make this easier on you.
-
If you have experienced sexual harassment or discrimination, or are unsure whether conduct you have experienced may be unlawful, you can contact Melanie Schleiger Legal to obtain legal advice. Your privacy is important and your enquiry will be treated confidentially.
