James is a Partner in the Employment team.
Experienced in contentious and non-contentious employment matters, acting for a range of employers across numerous sectors, including: retail, food and drink, manufacturing and life sciences. James advises on redundancies and employee restructuring as a result of workplace closures, relocation, and change projects. Providing hands-on support for employers with complex large-scale collective consultations, trade union recognition, collective bargaining matters and TUPE issues.
His experience includes employment tribunal litigation, defending businesses in claims for unfair dismissal, whistle-blowing allegations, discrimination, and breach of contract.
Supporting on the employment aspects of company transactions, drafts directors’ service agreements and consultancy agreements, advises on board level disputes involving restrictive covenants and the misuse of confidential information.
Recent examples of how James has supported clients include:
- enabling a high-profile retailer to avoid an industrial and employee relations conflict by successfully navigating a HR project involving redundancies and pay cuts linked to the COVID-19 pandemic and involving the interpretation of complex aspects of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme:
- enabling an AIM-listed business to avoid employment litigation, potential sabotage and a mass walkout following the closure of 24 sites, linked to a company voluntary arrangement;
- supporting a national food retailer by advising on a sensitive multi-site restructuring, including providing guidance on employee relocation issues, redundancies, job role changes and trade union representation matters; and
- successfully coordinating the employer appeals in a high-profile holiday pay claim, a case of such importance that it involved the intervention of the UK Government. One of the outcomes in this case was that employees were prevented from bringing holiday pay claims going back several years, thereby having significant positive financial implications for the wider economy.