Leveasque Peterson

Leveasque Peterson is a Special Counsel in the Melbourne office of Mallesons Stephen Jaques. She is part of the Property, Construction and Environment team, with a particular focus on occupational health and safety.

Leveasque has specialised in occupational health and safety law for over ten years. She commenced her career defending companies and individuals (including senior management personnel) in WorkSafe fatality and serious injury prosecutions. She later moved to the Victorian WorkCover Authority as the Senior Lawyer supervising all prosecutions charged between 2000-2005, which averaged 200 prosecutions and investigations annually.

She also held a key role in designing and implementing the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 (Vic), which introduced increased powers of investigation and penalties for breaches of the legislation. She trained all of WorkSafe’s inspectors and investigators on operational changes and other amendments relating to the new OH&S regime.

Leveasque has had extensive litigation experience instructing Counsel and appearing as a solicitor advocate in coronial inquests, County Court trials, summary prosecutions arising from workplace fatalities and serious injuries, VCAT hearings and WorkSafe notice contraventions. Most recently she acted in relation to the Beaconsfield Mine collapse in Tasmania and on a fatality involving Fosters Limited. She is currently defending the first charges laid under the new provisions for supervisor and manager criminal liability.

Areas of expertise

• Environment and planning
• Construction
• Occupational health and safety