Employment
We provide solutions driven advice on HR and employment law issues within the UK and internationally. We differentiate ourselves by offering clients an integrated service working in collaboration with our immigration, pensions, employee benefits, data protection and tax specialists to handle all of your people related legal needs.
Our primary focus is achieving your commercial objective in the most efficient manner possible. We work closely with you to understand your business and to use our experience to recommend clear solutions to complex and/or sensitive problems.
Our clients include industry leaders, stock market listed companies, global brands and owner managed businesses. We have specialisms in the technology, real estate, recruitment, hospitality, financial services and commercial outsourcing sectors.
We advise on all aspects of the employment relationship cycle starting with recruitment and on boarding (drafting contractual documentation, establishing competitive remuneration and benefit structures and securing rights to work in the UK); covering all issues during the relationship (managing conduct and capability issues, resolving disputes, talent management and assisting with changes to employment terms and workforce restructures); and all aspects of ending the relationship (devising exit strategies to minimise the risk of legal claims, ensuring the effective protection of business interests including from the loss of clients and staff and acting in litigation disputes in the Employment Tribunal and higher Courts). We also advise on the employment aspects of commercial transactions and outsourcing projects.
We also differentiate ourselves from our competitors through our international reach via our team’s specialised iGlobal Law business which enables us to provide advice within the UK and to manage on our clients’ behalf cross-border and country-specific employment law, data and privacy, whistleblowing, UK Bribery Act, FCPA and compliance advice in over 60 jurisdictions.
Experience
- Acting for a medical research and development company, the team has advised on a range of matters, including (i) harmonisation of employment terms and TUPE issues arising from company acquisitions; (ii) a complete revision of the employment contract and company handbook; (iii) assisting with exit management strategies for senior employees; and (vi) tax issues arising from employee benefits.
- Advising several global hospitality businesses on (i) restructuring of the workforce including changes to shift patterns; (ii) drafting and implementing new restrictive covenants; (iii) a large-scale redundancy/office closure exercise, including collective and individual consultation and guidance upon the strategic approach to be undertaken and a large number of issues arising from the exercise, including dealing with press enquiries; and (iv) defending a number of Tribunal claims concerning various allegations, including unfair dismissal and discrimination.
- Acting for a national care provider advising on the employment aspects of multiple business and site acquisitions and negotiating the outsourcing of key back office functions.
- Acting for a national facilities management business including (i) the departure of several board level employees; (ii) managing formal requests for Trade Union recognition; (iii) complex TUPE issues on the entry into and exit from public sector contracts; and (iv) several multi-party litigation disputes involving discrimination, whistleblowing and trade union issues.
- Advising a national resource management business on (i) the retendering for a large government contract. This included both the contractual documentation and then the consequential reorganisation of the business, including a large-scale restructure/redundancy exercise which was completed without any claims; (ii) a substantial change in the location of offices, leading again to a restructuring exercise, which the team assisted upon at all stages including, unfortunately, consequential redundancies; and (iii) the sale of one of its subsidiaries and the transfer of employees.
Employment Bulletins
News
Appraisals – common pitfalls and challenges
We have all had that feeling around appraisal season. Everything seems fine so why waste time when we have work to get on with? However, with many employees still working… Read more →
News
Guidance for employers: who is entitled to take time off for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee bank holiday?
We have seen a number of queries from employers asking whether their employees are entitled to take time off for the additional bank holiday in 2022 to commemorate the Queen’s… Read more →
News
The Gender Pay Gap – Common pitfalls for employers
This article has been written jointly between Wedlake Bell and Spktral, a specialist organisation which focuses on pay gap analysis, specifically gender, ethnicity, sexuality and disability. What is the gender… Read more →
Bulletins
2022 – Employment law changes and trends
The Government has engaged in a number of consultations considering fundamental changes to employment law. With the ongoing pandemic, many consultations have stalled, but if they are concluded (and there… Read more →
Bulletins
Home Is Where the Workplace Is
On 19 July 2021, the government removed guidance that recommended that workers based in England should continue to work from home where they can. For some, a return to the… Read more →
Wedlake Bell LLP offers employment law assistance to clients both through its flagship department and a subsidiary, iGlobal Law, an independent practice geared towards international employers.
— Legal 500, 2022
Wedlake Bell LLP has an established track record in advising senior individuals in the private equity space.
— Legal 500, 2022
A great team who are always quick to respond and refer me to the right person for the specific question.
— Legal 500, 2022
The employment team at Wedlake Bell make sure that they go the extra mile to help me as a stand alone HR professional.
— Legal 500, 2022
I have found Wedlake Bell to be excellent in their advice and their immediate reactivity to any situation that arises. They are obviously extremely knowledgeable about all employment law matters and can also give advice, or contacts to liaise with, if I have questions relating to our other offices in Europe. Their knowledge of our business is great.
— Legal 500, 2021
Warm, caring people who really stood behind me. Great team.
— Legal 500, 2021
Each person who has worked on my case has been fully up to speed on even the most complex aspects. Clear leadership is shown by the partner in charge, but each member of the team contributes brilliantly and thus they work efficiently and effectively as a team. The working relationships between the partner, associates and trainee solicitors are impressive.
— Legal 500, 2021