Leigh Day provides an end-to-end service to individuals engaged in employment disputes. High-profile matters, including equal pay claims against ASDA and ongoing sex discrimination claims against Sainsbury’s, are significant both in terms of their magnitude but ademonstrating team heads Lauren Lougheed and Linda Wong‘s expertise in litigation and equal pay disputes. The firm also regularly represents senior executives in the private and public sphere, acting for unfair dismissal claims including discrimination, victimisation and mistreatment aspects. Co-head Mike Cain concentrates on these senior executive issues, with a nationwide practice focused on the financial and legal sector, including the South and London. Furthermore, Cain regularly engages with whistleblowing and disability cases, such as his case acting against the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and his active case against GCHQ, both of which generated significant media coverage. Ryan Bradshaw continues to expand his portfolio of employment rights cases, engaging with work in the charities and law enforcement sectors alongside his education disputes.

Specialising in senior executive departures and compensation, Brabners LLP is active across a range of sectors including sport, retail, professional services, transport and logistics and health. The nature and profile of the team’s cases require sensitivity and confidentiality when negotiating settlements involving bonus and commission claims and share plans. Furthermore, the firm is intimately familiar with complex Employment Tribunal cases, regularly representing clients pursuing unfair dismissal, whistleblowing, and disability and sex discrimination claims. Group head Lydia Edgar focuses on sport-related employee matters, advising on both the appointment and exit negotiations of individuals, while the ‘strong and clear’ Nick Campbell competently handles senior executive exits through his role leading Brabners Personal, a subteam specialising in these niche and complex settlement cases. The ‘astute, dedicated and determined’ Siobhan Howard-Palmer is active on a wide range of firm matters, including discrimination, whistleblowing and employee status claims.

Senior executive exits form the cornerstone of the practice at Kuit Steinart Levy LLP, with the team possessing established strength negotiating settlements and responding to post-termination restrictive covenants. The group is also well versed in unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing cases, advising employees active in the professional services, sport, leisure and hospitality, and education sectors. Kevin McKenna fronts the team and has advised on large-scale settlement agreements for multiple employees involved in severance schemes and redundancy proceedings, as well as representing clients in complex tribunal claims. Sally Bird leverages both her corporate expertise and the experience of her corporate colleagues to act on employment matters relating to mergers and acquisitions, ensuring employees, most notably senior executives, are protected during management restructurings.

Founded by team head Chris McAvoy-Newns in 2019, specialist employment practice People Legal has quickly become a leading player in employee exit cases involving unfair dismissal, discrimination, and whistleblowing. The firm is formidable at entering mediation with employers and their counsels, routinely achieving positive outcomes. The team is well versed in pregnancy and maternity discrimination issues, with Jessica Daniel being highly active in such matters, while Helen Littlewood has a particular focus on contractual issues in the sports sector. Furthermore, McAvoy-Newns is an experienced litigator and has been involved in a wide range of complex Employment Tribunal claims and has established strength in advising employees on worker status issues, restructurings, and change management programmes.

The ‘first-rate’ team at Slater and Gordon is split into two areas of focus: Organisations and Member Services (OMS) and private client. Sadiq Vohra heads the OMS team and enjoys a strong relationship with the Police Federation and various other organisations, representing claimants in Employment Tribunals regarding issues such as disability, race and sexual discrimination, as well as advising individuals and collective bodies on employment law. The firm is able to provide a full service to OMS clients due to its deep bench of solicitors, such as Greta Mallinson who has a particular focus on discrimination claims and police pensions, and the competent litigator Victoria Schofield.  The ‘excellent’ Karen Murray leads private client matters and is adept at directing clients’ whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and victimisation claims.

Gorvins Solicitors employee and trade union offering is overseen by David Rogers, who leverages over twenty years of sector experience to advise on collective redundancy arrangements, senior executive departures and post-termination restrictions, as well as competently representing clients in Employment Tribunal claims. A key point of differentiation for the group is its sector expertise in maternity and pregnancy discrimination matters, with the ‘excellent’ Amanda Isherwood actively involved in disciplinary processes and settlement negotiations. David is also well versed in issues emerging from complex TUPE arrangements, including negotiating with Trade Union representatives and handling tribunal claims.

Pearson Solicitors and Financial Advisers Ltd recently bolstered its capacity for a full-service through several arrivals from Linder Myers in 2022, including team head Alan Lewis. The firm advises on mandates ranging from protective award claims, senior executive exits, and responding to restrictive covenant assertions. Lewis focuses on exit negotiations for individuals, working on cases across, but not limited to, the financial services, legal, real estate and telecommunications sectors; he also has experience in unfair dismissal and discrimination cases, as well as acting for collectives during redundancy disputes. Co-head Susan Mayall handles post-termination restrictions and TUPE transfer matters across a wide breadth of sectors, while Ben Williams, has a particular focus on unfair dismissal and discrimination matters, with experiencing litigating in Employment Tribunal claims.

Adding a Liverpool office in late 2022 to bolster its Cheshire and Manchester offerings, Primas is geared to act on the full range of contentious and non-contentious employment matters. The team has established strenght in senior executive departures in the financial, health, retail and transport sectors, including responding to breach of restrictive covenant claims. David Walton fronts the practice, and utilises his litigation experience to act on whistleblowing, discrimination, and unfair dismissal claims in Employment Tribunals. He is also knowledgeable of employee rights during periods of management and business restructuring. The ‘diligent’ Danielle Ayres is a leading player in the evolving pregnancy and maternity rights landscape, guiding clients through grievance processes and maternity discrimination claims. Ayres also has extensive experience in both reaching settlements in mediation and representing clients in the Employment Appeal Tribunal and Court of Appeal.

Thompsons Solicitors LLP acts for both trade unions and individuals referred to the firm by unions, representing clients on claims regarding unfair dismissal and discrimination. The group also demonstrate capability regarding estoppel and rectification issues. Team head Neil Guss has a particular focus on disability and trade union discrimination, as well as representing multiple clients in claims relating to redundancy processes.