Employment
Our employment lawyers are highly experienced at helping corporate and individual clients navigate their way through the employment law minefield. As long-standing advisers to employers and employees, we are adept at seeing both sides of the issues involved in any employment law dispute. We believe this is essential to helping mediate a mutually agreeable solution or fighting to gain the best possible result for our client.
You are entitled to expect your lawyers to be well versed in the law applicable to your individual situation. We pride ourselves on taking a commercial, pragmatic and cost-effective approach to legal problems which require fast and effective solutions. We take the time to understand your specific needs and deal with matters in a down-to-earth and user-friendly manner.
What We Do
Our employment lawyers cover the whole range of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters. We advise major companies through to smaller private and owner-managed businesses as well as individuals in a wide variety of sectors, including financial services, manufacturing, retail, professional services, healthcare, recruitment, publishing, media, IT, restaurants, hotels and leisure.
The areas covered by our Employment practice include:
Meet the team
Biography
Matthew heads our Employment and Immigration practice, advising on all areas of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious, and both business and personal immigration matters.
Matthew is a highly experienced lawyer, praised for his attention to detail and his focus on offering commercial and pragmatic solutions to his clients with a clear and friendly clear approach.
Employment
Matthew has a varied portfolio of clients, incorporating FTSE 250 companies, global businesses, SMEs, start-ups, charities, family offices and private individuals. His experience has covered numerous sectors, including retail, healthcare, recruitment, professional services (including financial services), technology, telecommunications and property investment.
Matthew is experienced in all aspects of employment law, including:
- Employment tribunals and appeals
- Disciplinary and grievance procedures
- Alternative dispute resolution (including mediation)
- Termination of employment
- Redundancy consultations and restructures
- Settlement agreements
- Employment contracts
- Bonus / Commission schedules
- Post-termination restrictive covenants
- TUPE transfers
- Staff handbooks and policies
- LLP member departures
Matthew regularly assists on the employment aspects of complex corporate and property transactions, providing commercial advice to assist both buyers and sellers in ensuring compliance with regulations and a smooth transition for employees, as well as advising directors and senior executives in respect of their service agreements or severance packages.
Matthew advises numerous companies on day to day HR issues, identifying and addressing issues at an early stage to limit the risks of litigation. Matthew has extensive experience in handling Employment Tribunal claims, for both claimants and respondents, covering issues including discrimination, whistleblowing and unfair dismissal, as well as successfully appealing against adverse Employment Tribunal decisions in the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT). Matthew also has experience in handling employment-based claims in the civil courts, particularly in respect of breach of contract.
Matthew has particular experience in resolving disputes regarding alleged breaches of post-termination restrictive covenants prior to proceeding to litigation, taking a reasoned, commercial approach with a focus on achieving the client’s preferred goals.
Highlights include:
- achieving compensation at the Employment Tribunal in a complex case regarding the transfer of employment of a dismissed CEO to a phoenix company in the EU following administration of the UK company;
- succeeding at the EAT in overturning the Employment Tribunal’s decision regarding a significant bonus for a former CEO of a fintech company;
- negotiating in pre-tribunal mediation to achieve significant compensation for a top-level surgeon in respect of a breach of contract by an NHS Trust;
- establishing liability in a complex whistleblowing claim against an investment management company.
Immigration
Matthew’s experience includes advising global listed companies, HNW individuals, and private individuals on all aspects of business and family immigration:
- Sponsor licence applications and management (including Sponsorship Management System)
- Points Based System visas
- Family visas
- Naturalisation
- EU Settlement Scheme
- Administrative reviews
- Appeals to the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber)
Clients continue to instruct Matthew due to his personable approach and focus on addressing issues early in the process to ensure applications are clear and robust at the submission stage, maximising chances of success and pre-empting legal points to support any subsequent appeal processes.
Highlights include
- succeeding with complex Tier 1 (Investor) applications at both initial and extension stages in which prescribed evidential requirements were not met;
- assisting a company with reinstating an A-rated sponsor licence following a suspension by undertaking a top-to-bottom review of HR systems and liaising with the Home Office;
- numerous successes at First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), keeping couples and families together.
Qualification
Solicitor, 2009
Career History
Partner, Teacher Stern
Partner, Fletcher Day
Partner, Solomon Taylor & Shaw
Solicitor, Solomon Taylor & Shaw
Solicitor, The Learning Trust (Hackney)
Representative Employment Work
Examples of our employment team’s work include:
- Advised on the employment aspects of a multi-billion dollar merger resulting in substantial redundancies and collective consultation obligations.
- Advised a leading global financial services business in relation to allegations of impropriety by employees in relation to serious regulatory misconduct.
- Advised a former employee of a global financial services company in relation to unfair dismissal and discrimination claims resulting in an appeal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal and a substantial compensation award in our client’s favour.
- Advised an employer in relation to an investigation into allegations of serious misconduct by a senior director including allegations of a culture of institutionalised discrimination and unlawful behaviour resulting in a gross misconduct dismissal.
- Advised an employee of a public authority (who suffered discrimination, harassment and victimisation arising from disabilities) on a protracted grievance process and in relation to Employment Tribunal proceedings taken on behalf of our client.
- Regularly advise employees in relation to their rights as Employee Shareholders under the new employee shareholder legislation. We are one of the leading advisors in the UK in relation to such schemes.
Testimonials
‘The employment team from Teacher Stern are very professional, always available to offer their advice, explain complex employment practices and procedures. They displayed a great knowledge of employment law always making sure to highlight any potential risks, which might not have been obvious from the employer’s perspective.’
‘Consistently punches above its weight. A sensible and cost-effective alternative to the larger City firms.’
Legal 500 testimonials
The latest updates from the team
