Employment

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Overview
Work
Accolades & Testimonials
Meet The Team

Managing the commercial pressures of running a business and getting the people part right can be a delicate balance. Employers are confronted daily with a range of human resource issues. For those with cross-border operations, these issues can be even more complex.

Our Employment team strives to become an efficient extension of our clients’ businesses, providing strategic, timely and commercial advice.

We help senior teams and HR professionals at every stage of the employment lifecycle, whether it’s immediate operational support as individual problems arise, strategic advice on organisational development or implementing preventative measures and solutions.

We also work closely with clients on workforce and performance issues, such as HR audits, in-house training and executive coaching programmes on all aspects of employment law, HR practices and effective management and leadership techniques.

We pride ourselves on our knowledge of our clients’ business, culture and commercial goals to deliver the best possible outcome.

Working with FTSE-listed companies, SMEs, public bodies and not-for-profit organisations, our clients rely on our technical expertise and pragmatic, straight-talking advice that offers our opinion and not just options. We also advise individuals on executive service agreements and settlement agreements.

We cover all aspects of employment law and people management:

  • Discrimination and harassment
  • Employee relations management
  • Business transfers, outsourcing and TUPE
  • Restructures and redundancies
  • Employment tribunal claims
  • Strategic workforce and succession planning
  • Share scheme and option arrangements
  • Employee status and atypical working
  • Recruitment and selection
  • Pay, reward and benefits
  • Mediation and dispute resolution
  • Contractual arrangements and policy documents
  • Defending RTI Group Services Limited against a former director and a former employee who claimed that they had been dismissed for having blown the whistle. Both parties also claimed unfair dismissal
  • Advising Brickability Group PLC in connection with the employment due diligence aspects of the acquisitions of Beacon Roofing Limited, Modular Clay Products Limited, and the combined acquisition of E.T. Clay Products Limited and Heritage Clay Tiles Limited
  • Providing ongoing support to Bright Network in navigating regulatory requirements and commercial negotiations for the supply of its Bright Network Technology Academy graduates to businesses across the UK
  • Acting as an extension to Portman Healthcare Limited, providing the company with full support on all matters relating to its people. This has included:
    • Drafting and advising on template contracts of employment and associate agreements for self-employed clinicians
    • Strategy for managing IR35 and the engagement of self-employed clinicians
    • Immigration support on bringing international clinicians into the UK
    • General advice on disciplinaries, grievances, capability management and sickness absence management procedures. Day-to-day advice on a variety of HR queries
    • TUPE advice following the acquisition of various practices
    • Redundancy and restructures
    • Bonus schemes for senior executives
  • Advising a local authority on a complex, multiple claim employment tribunal dispute, involving allegations of unfair dismissal, whistleblowing detriment and sex discrimination against 11 named individuals
  • Supporting the senior management team of Vista Retail Limited in a dual employment legal counsel and HR business partnering function, work which has included various inward and outward TUPEs
  • Advising a global engineering group on various contractual issues, policies and procedures, working time regulations, restrictive covenants, industrial action and employment tribunal claims
  • Advising a manufacturing company on employment status issues as part of its global operations
  • Advising a leading fintech company on settlement agreements and negotiations following a restructure
  • Advising a private European investment firm on strategic people management issues within its group companies, including exit arrangements for a number of directors and shareholders
  • Advising a premium shower manufacturer on its employee relations, including pregnancy and maternity rights, disciplinary and grievances and a breach of contract
  • Advising a global shipping and maritime company on sickness absence management, TUPE, employment status and performance management
  • Advising international businesses in the creative industries on sexual harassment allegations, other grievances and an employment tribunal claim for constructive unfair dismissal
  • Advising a leading high-tech manufacturer on sickness absence management, dismissal processes and an employment tribunal claim
  • Advising a sports business on a restructuring process, TUPE and a disciplinary investigation
  • Advising a company in the health and social care sector on staffing issues and complex disciplinary action
  • Advising various employers on GDPR-compliant policies and procedures
  • Advising a local authority on employment tribunal claims over allegations of constructive unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, whistleblowing, victimisation and harassment

Accolades

  • The Employment team is ranked Band 2 by Chambers and Partners
  • The Employment team is ranked Tier 2 in The Legal 500

Testimonials

“With Acuity Law they always help me do the right thing and always help me minimise the risk to the company. Over the past 12 months we have achieved significant change for the business with no negative repercussions.”

“The team has the mix of professional expertise, reliability, availability and outcome that means I go back to them repeatedly. They are completely service minded which makes being a client an armchair of an experience, but at no loss to the clarity or the honesty of their advice.”

“When I work with the Acuity Employment team it feels like I am working with any other section of my in-house legal team. They integrate seamlessly, orient to the issue and present solutions on behalf of the organisation, rather than just a lawyer advising a client.”

“They have a good understanding of our business and the challenges we face within the industry. I really appreciate the pragmatism that Acuity offers us as a business.”

“The service is always well communicated and a time frame clearly laid out. They go the extra mile to make sure we are well looked after.”

“I have always found them to be very up to date with employment and legislation changes and they give us practical advice on implementation.”

“The team is very knowledgeable and responsive.”

“It provides a very high quality and personable service.”

“I fundamentally trust the team is because they are moulded in the image of their exceptional leader. Claire has that magical combination of a law library in her head, availability that suggests she has more hours in the day than other people, and a success rate to be envied.”

Claire Knowles, Employment Partner at Acuity Law

Claire Knowles

Partner

Juliette Franklin

Legal Director

Adam McGlynn

Associate

Swyn Llyr

Solicitor

Laura Spence

Trainee Solicitor

Ruth Dawson-Jones

HR Consultant
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