Ross Sottile

Ross holds a Bachelor of Laws with Distinction from Deakin University and a Diploma of Counselling and Applied Social Science from the Australian College of Applied Psychology. He joined Maurice Blackburn in 2016 and worked across WorkCover and Public Liability before moving to the Asbestos and Dust Diseases team in 2019. He was admitted to practise in 2023.

His practice covers asbestos-related disease claims and WorkCover compensation claims arising from occupational asthma, silicosis, Long COVID, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), sarcoidosis and autoimmune conditions such as scleroderma and lupus. He focuses on helping career and volunteer firefighters seek compensation for cancers and other illnesses associated with their service, drawing on his knowledge of Victoria's presumptive rights legislation, including its eligibility requirements and the options available to firefighters who fall outside the statutory presumption.

His practice also extends to claims involving cancers attributable to occupational or other hazardous exposures, including brain, bladder, kidney, breast, testicular, prostate, ureter, colorectal, oesophageal, cervical, ovarian and uterine cancers, as well as leukaemia, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma. These matters require careful investigation of employment and exposure histories, supported by medical and scientific evidence. Where a work-related disease has resulted in death, Ross also assists families with dependency claims.

In his asbestos practice, Ross acts for people diagnosed with mesothelioma, asbestosis, asbestos-related pleural disease and lung cancer. His clients include home renovators, former ABC Gas and Fuel workers, and former State Electricity Commission (SEC) employees, contractors and tradespeople from Morwell, Yallourn, Moe, Traralgon and across the Latrobe Valley, as well as family members exposed to asbestos dust brought home on work clothing. Understanding the SEC's central place in the history and identity of the Latrobe Valley informs his approach to these claims, and he has experience investigating exposure at the region's power stations, briquette factories, workshops, mines and associated industrial sites, including Yallourn, Hazelwood and Morwell.

Beyond his work for individual clients, Ross advocates for reform in how occupational illnesses are recognised and assessed, having publicly highlighted shortcomings in Victoria's impairment assessment framework for terminal, non-lung occupational cancers and called for assessments that better reflect the severity and progression of these conditions. He also writes and presents on occupational disease, including silicosis, workplace chemical exposure, occupational COPD and work-related cancer, and works with organisations such as Scleroderma Victoria to help educate the community about workplace exposures, occupational disease and compensation rights.

Ross's counselling and applied social science background underpins an empathetic and practical approach to guiding clients through the claims process at an exceptionally difficult time. Client feedback consistently reflects his sensitivity, responsiveness and ability to make complex claims easier to navigate, alongside a focus on achieving the best possible outcomes.

Memberships

• Maurice Blackburn PRIDE Network
• LivOUT Working Group
• Scleroderma Victoria

Articles

• New bill to prevent occupational respiratory disease, HR Leader 2023
  
• The Role of the Medical Profession in Occupational Lung Disease and Access to Compensation, Journal of Law and Medicine 2022
• The legislative response to the current wave of silicosis: A Victorian perspective, Informit 2022
• New bill to enhance protection for workers, Lawyers Weekly 2022 
• National Dust Disease Taskforce report ‘fell short’, occupational diseases lawyers say, Lawyers Weekly 2021
• Firefighter with terminal throat cancer refused WorkCover due to 'massive' flaw, A Current Affair 2025

Videos

• Compensation and Occupational Lung Disease, Lung Foundation Australia
• Victorian Firefighter’s Widow Fighting To Close Legal Loophole For Compensation, 10 News+