Employment Disputes
Practical solutions for complex and high-stakes workplace conflicts.
Workplace disputes can escalate rapidly, affecting your people, culture and reputation. They often unfold under time pressure and close internal and external scrutiny. We combine legal expertise, commercial understanding and emotional intelligence to guide clients through these situations with clarity and confidence, whether through early negotiation, mediation or, if necessary, litigation.
We act for employers, trade unions and senior executives across a broad range of sectors, including financial and professional services, education, aviation, arts and culture, sport, charities and retail.
Experienced guidance in sensitive disputes
Our experience extends across the full range of internal employment disputes – from grievances and disciplinaries to safeguarding crises and whistleblowing. We are frequently called upon in high-profile or sensitive matters, where discretion and credibility are essential.
We work closely with HR teams, senior management, risk and compliance, and reputation advisers to ensure that procedures are legally sound, commercially practical and capable of withstanding scrutiny from regulators, the media or other stakeholders.
Employment Tribunal proceedings
Employment Tribunal claims are demanding, both for organisations and individuals. We provide early, practical advice on risk, costs and settlement options, and help clients develop negotiation strategies that align with their wider objectives.
Where a hearing cannot be avoided, our team prepares meticulously and advocates robustly. Clients trust us to manage the process with precision and deliver the best achievable outcome.
We manage numerous complex Employment Tribunal claims for clients across a range of sectors, including private businesses, sports, education, professional practices, financial institutions and not-for-profit.
For more information on our pricing structure click here.
High Court litigation
Not all disputes can be resolved in the Tribunal. We have extensive experience in the High Court and Court of Appeal, acting in cases involving:
- Breach of confidentiality and fiduciary duties
- Enforcement of restrictive covenants
- Bonus disputes and shareholder issues
These cases often raise issues beyond employment law. Our ability to draw on colleagues in corporate, tax, regulatory and reputation management ensures that our clients receive comprehensive advice from every angle.
Trade union and collective issues
We regularly advise on trade union recognition, collective bargaining and strike action. Our work includes:
- Negotiating with trade unions during periods of industrial action
- Advising on recognition agreements and collective consultation requirements
- Balancing employee relations with business continuity and reputation management
Our experience advising both employers and trade unions gives us insight into the dynamics of sensitive workforce relations, enabling us to anticipate challenges and achieve pragmatic outcomes.
Support for senior executives
We act for senior leaders facing claims or bringing disputes, including discrimination, whistleblowing, restrictive covenant and bonus-related disputes. Our advice is discreet, pragmatic and always focused on protecting careers and reputations.
Recent work highlights:
- Aviation sector: acting for BALPA, the pilots’ union, on all employment-related matters, including individual members’ claims in the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and High Court, collective disputes and industrial relations issues.
- Senior oil trader: successfully defended urgent High Court claim from former employer seeking to prevent new employment and alleging multi-million pound losses.
- Team move dispute: representing a group of senior finance individuals in a complex employee competition claim in the High Court.
- Leading UK university: advising on a number of large-scale Employment Tribunal claims at any one time, often involving complex issues around discrimination, whistleblowing or worker status.
