Employment

Lewis Silkin is recognised for its work for both employers and senior executives in the financial services, retail, advertising, technology and professional services sectors. The firm houses a deep bench of experienced practitioners who routinely act for clients on discrimination and restrictive covenant matters. The firm's recent work has included advising 'gig economy' employers on matters relating to worker status. It also offers a robust practice advising on the employment aspects of large corporate transactions, including those involving TUPE transfers or substantial international elements. Lewis Silkin also boasts specialist expertise in High Court litigation and sensitive investigations.

"The lawyers we work with at Lewis Silkin give us pragmatic and commercially sound advice. They are responsive and understand our business, enabling them to provide advice that works for us."

"The team at Lewis Silkin are responsive, flexible and supportive. All the lawyers that we deal with have the breadth and depth of knowledge that is helpful in challenging matters."

"We have full confidence in Lewis Silkin's excellent team. They are extremely responsive and provide an outstanding service."

Lewis Silkin acted for Deliveroo in an appeal to the Supreme Court case regarding the right of riders to be deemed 'workers' and their right to collective bargaining.

Consultant at Lewis Silkin James Davies draws praise for his experience acting on high-level employment matters. Clients turn to Davies for advice on both domestic and international employment matters. "James possesses an incredible breadth of expertise and experience in employment law, particularly around the area of discrimination and the Employer of Record model." "In difficult situations, he is able to give a balance of understanding and empathy to different stakeholders involved while offering robust and clear advice to our business." "James is just the safest pair of hands. He is smart, intelligent and everything you want to help you resolve issues."

Richard Miskella receives acclaim for his work on behalf of major employers and senior executives. He is particularly noted for his expertise advising clients on investigations and workplace culture change. Miskella has been the joint managing partner of Lewis Silkin since 2019. "Richard is an excellent lawyer whose advice and support on tricky issues is very well received. I really value his calm and unflappable approach."

Michael Burd is a partner in Lewis Silkin's employment offering. He has extensive experience of advising employers on high-level employment disputes and is noted for his work on cross-border matters. "Michael is a great lawyer across the board on employer matters."

Co-lead of the High Court employment litigation practice at Lewis Silkin, Toni Lorenzo is highly experienced in handling High Court disputes and is lauded as an expert on restrictive covenants and team moves. He is recognised for his work with both employers and employees. "Toni becomes a business partner when working with his clients. He is right into the issues with us and couldn't be more of a trusted adviser." "He helps shoulder critical responsibilities in difficult matters and is very skilled with a broad knowledge of the law on employment." "Toni is rightly loved by his clients. He has incredible judgement and great client-handling skills. He is at the top of his game." "He is very skilled, experienced, has a broad knowledge of the law on employment and is tactfully smart."

Colin Leckey is distinguished for his expertise in employment cases relating to worker status and equal pay. His clients include technology and financial services firms. "Colin is great. He is my go-to person for UK employment issues." "I get really great, proactive advice from Colin. He knows us, the landscape and how to anticipate our needs and our relationship. His advice is really strong."

Michael Anderson co-leads the High Court employment litigation practice group at Lewis Silkin. He is valued for his High Court experience, particularly in team move litigation, and is noted for his work with financial services clients. "Anything that happens in the team move space, Michael is the go-to person." "He runs cases really effectively while being very strong commercially." "Michael knows the law and the commercial context better than anyone."

Sean Dempsey is a partner at Lewis Silkin who is recognised for his work advising household-name clients on sensitive employment matters. He regularly advises clients in the technology sector. Dempsey is well placed to provide cross-jurisdictional employment advice across the UK and Ireland as he is triple-qualified. "Sean is our trusted adviser who we regularly turn to for his commercial awareness and pragmatic advice." "He is a highly skilled lawyer who provides our firm with excellent support." "Sean is very commercial and responsive, making us feel like a valued client. He plays a key role and is almost an extension of our internal team. We wouldn't be able to do the work we do without Sean."

Karen Baxter is head of the investigations and regulatory practice at Lewis Silkin. She is particularly sought after for her workplace investigations expertise, as well as her experience with discrimination and harassment claims before the Employment Tribunal. "Karen has an ability to explain complex employment law issues in easy to understand language." "She is great at explaining the legal position of an issue but then works logically to break that down into a practical solution." "Karen is an excellent adviser and strategic thinker who is always highly responsive."

Shalina Crossley expertly conducts investigations into workplace discrimination and misuse of confidential information allegations. Her recent work includes advising on sexual and financial misconduct. "Shalina takes the time to understand our business operation and priorities to provide the appropriate advice." "She always makes herself available to support fast-moving matters and provides challenge to ensure we achieve the best outcome for all parties. I enjoy working with Shalina and have trust and confidence in her." "Shalina has a sharp mind, is extremely professional and will bend over backwards to help. We love working with her." "It is always a joy to deal with Shalina. She is smart and focuses on the big picture."

Lewis Silkin partner Tarun Tawakley draws on his experience as the former head of employment law and commercial litigation at Deliveroo to provide expert advice to clients that operate in the 'gig economy'. He regularly advises clients on compliance and worker status issues. "Tarun is truly excellent, I cannot recommend him enough. His client service is incredible and he is always available to help. His advice is excellent and always incredibly commercial." "He is an absolute go-to for 'gig economy'-type work." "Tarun is superb. He is amazing both professionally and personally."

Carla Watling is a managing associate at Lewis Silkin. She is called upon by employers to handle team move litigation and transactional support. Watling has particular expertise in handling matters pertaining to recruitment law and employment status. "Carla is a great lawyer and a real powerhouse for big cases." "She is excellent at running litigation matters."