Colin LeckeyPartner

I became a partner in Lewis Silkin’s employment team in April 2012, before that spending nearly eleven years at Baker & McKenzie. I act for many large, multinational employers on the full range of employment litigation and advisory matters. I have a particular expertise in the platform or “gig” economy, working on high profile employment status disputes. I advise regularly on trade union and collective rights matters and also have a keen interest in cross-border work, co-organising our annual Managing an International Workforce conference. I speak regularly at internal and external conferences, and contribute to a wide range of publications on employment law issues. I lead our work on equal pay, gender pay gap and other types of pay reporting, working from home overseas, and modern slavery.

I was voted the Lexology Client Choice UK Employment Lawyer of the Year 2020 by in house counsel. Who’s Who Legal has listed me as a leading employment lawyer every year since 2016.

Employment

My practice is diverse: while I advise regularly on the employment lawyer “bread and butter” of redundancies, disciplinaries, grievances and so on, I also specialise in:

• high value litigation (High Court and Tribunal)

• industrial relations and collective rights issues, particularly in the “gig economy”

• TUPE and transactions

• equal pay

• cross-border and international employment advice

I also advise on key emerging issues for employers, including aspects of the ESG agenda such as pay gap reporting and the Modern Slavery Act. I helped Deliveroo defend the independent contractor status of its riders in a matter that has proceeded from the Central Arbitration Committee to the Court of Appeal. Other recent career highlights include advising on a multi-party High Court equal pay claim, assisting a leading technology company defend a substantial whistleblowing and discrimination claim, and helping an investment bank to recover a substantial sum of money from a departing executive.

Financial Services

I advise a number of banks, asset managers, hedge funds and private equity firms on employment and partnership / LLP law issues.

I have wide experience of supporting clients in handling sensitive disputes involving senior staff, including where FCA and other regulatory issues at stake. I have expertise in the Senior Managers and Certification Regime.

Technology

I act for a wide range of clients in the technology sector on employment law issues. I have particular expertise in advising platform or “gig” economy clients on employment status disputes, but I work with everyone from Silicon Valley giants to small start-ups. My experience ranges from cross-border restructurings and global contract and policy reviews for the giants, to actions restraining misuse of confidential information and breach of covenants for much smaller players. I also act on technology acquisitions.

Professional Services

I advise a number of partnerships and LLPs, particularly in the financial services and professional services sectors, on employment and partnership / LLP law issues which are relevant to them. My practice includes advising law firm clients on their own internal personnel issues.

I have wide experience of supporting clients in handling sensitive disputes involving senior staff, including partners and their equivalents. I also on occasion advise senior individuals and partners on their own legal position.