Alison Woods

Work Highlights

A global media organisation on its global transformation and restructure, advising on all UK issues and project managing employment legal across all international markets.

A global consumer products company on its UK and international employment law needs across multiple markets on an ongoing basis.

A variety of clients on HR data privacy compliance in response to the GDPR, and ongoing DSAR support.

A listed company in its defence of £5 million whistleblowing claim, and separately on claims of sex discrimination and harassment.

Numerous energy companies on restructure and collective redundancies.

A unionised business on industrial relations issues and related negotiations.

An oil major on various transactions in its disposal of offshore assets.

An international employer on the variation of contractual bonus arrangements.

Practice Areas

Alison is co-head of the CMS UK employment team, and has a practice that extends across the full range of contentious and non-contentious employment law.

Alison has a particular interest in assisting clients through business change, which sees her advising on the employment aspects of business purchases/transfers and restructures. She is frequently called on to support sensitive issues at boardroom level, and supports clients in management reorganisations and employee/industrial relations projects, from strategic input through to implementation. On a day-to-day basis Alison advises clients on their full range of employment needs, from sensitive investigations, to defending tribunal claims, and data privacy compliance. Alison takes an interest in issues of inclusion and the workplace, which has seen her speaking and writing on multiple aspect of this; including gender pay, mental health at work, and the opportunities for diversity in a post-pandemic landscape.

Alison is a board member of the CMS international employment practice and has a wide variety of experience working on and project-managing international instructions, and advising on cross-border issues.

Education