About

I have spent well over a decade advising employers of all shapes and sizes on all aspects of employment law across many different sectors, but in particular hospitality, retail, manufacturing, finance and professional services.

I develop strong relationships with my clients and provide advice to a range of different indivudlas, including in-house lawyers, HR professionals, directors and owner managers. I work with my clients to learn and understand their business aims and objectives and guide them through the various employment processes while maintaining a commercial and pragmatic approach.

Experience

Employment

  • Advising on disciplinary and grievance procedures and sickness absence management (both long and short term absences), including reviewing outcome letters. This advice often involves consideration of discrimination and / or whistle blowing and requires a sensitive, and often robust, approach
  • Drafting and negotiating employment documents, including contracts, policies / handbooks and settlement agreements. This often involves consideration of post-termination restrictions, including non-compete clauses, and the protection of confidential information and intellectual property

Tribunal experience

  • Managing Employment Tribunal claims, both from an employer and employee perspective (although more recently I only advise employers)
  • Advising on a disability discrimination claim where I had concerns regarding my client's prospects of success due to certain emails which evidenced a dismissive approach towards a request for reasonable adjustments. The employee remained employed by my client at the time he brought his claim. I successfully settled this claim for a relatively low sum of money while maintaining the working relationship. I also worked with the client to provide feedback as to how to avoid a similar situation occurring in the future
  • Advising on an unfair dismissal claim, including an allegation that the employee had not been offered the right to be accompanied at a disciplinary hearing and a failure to pay holiday pay. In this claim the Claimant had been dismissed for sexual harassment of a more junior and vulnerable (due to his age and mental health) member of staff. I advised my client they had strong prospects of successfully defending the claim owing to the reasons for dismissal, the process taken and the clear documentary and witness evidence which was available. The Claimant was unwilling to withdraw his claims despite attempts to encourage him to do so and so we were ultimately successful in a 3-day full merits hearing
  • Advising on a 5-day hearing for maternity and sex discrimination relating to the application of redundancy selection criteria and the redundancy process. The final award given by the ET was less than half of the amount the claimant had been requesting in without prejudice discussions and so while my client was unsuccessful in defending the claim it was still worthwhile pursuing it to a final hearing

Services

Sectors