Employment
We’ve acted for private and public sector employers and have established a reputation for timely responses and cost-effective solutions. We provide a specialist employment law and HR advisory service to business clients, including directors and investors.
Specialist employment lawyers
Employment law is complex and ever-changing, but you can rely on us to guide you expertly over any potential obstacle. From whistle blowing to discrimination, cutting corners at work could damage both your company’s reputation and your bottom line. Knowing the rules is essential for protecting your organisation and keeping a positive business relationship with your employees.
We’ve acted for private and public sector employers and have established a reputation for timely responses and pragmatic, cost-effective solutions.
About our employment law team
We provide a specialist employment law and HR advisory service to business clients, including directors and investors. Whether protecting your interests during a HR procedure, or assisting you with writing your new employee handbook, we build our relationships with a reassuringly human touch.
- Our highly regarded team is ranked in the top tier for employment in the region by The Legal 500 and top ranked by Chambers
- A number of our employment team are recommended as leading individuals in Chambers
- We provide fast, efficient and practical advice at competitive rates to suit commercial needs
- You’ll enjoy working with a group of experienced, down-to-earth and personable people
- We work with you to understand your business and expertly tailor advice to your objectives
From tackling day-to-day HR processes like redundancy to advising on health and safety regulations, we offer a bespoke yet cost-effective service. Employment law can be uncertain, and we have the confidence in our approach to ensure you can always trust our judgment.
Our expertise empowers us to deal with problems in a strong and supportive way, however unusual the circumstances. In a stressful situation, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that we’ve seen it all and can be completely open about our costs.
Rena Magdani
Partner & National Head of Employment, Pensions & Immigration
Contact our employment team
Our services
We support employers with practical, business‑focused advice on all aspects of trade union relations, from recognition requests and collective bargaining to industrial action, ballots and dispute resolution. Our specialist employment lawyers help you navigate complex union environments confidently, minimise risk and maintain operational stability.
We have developed a range of easy to navigate and easy to embed eLearning training courses which allow you to train your employees wherever they happen to be.
Our Employment Rights Bill timeline provides employers with a clear roadmap of upcoming legislative changes from 2025 - 2027, covering reforms to trade union law, redundancy rules, sick pay, flexible working, dismissal rights, zero‑hours contracts, sexual harassment duties and more. We help organisations understand, prepare for and comply with these major shifts before they take effect.
Our specialist employment lawyers provide tailored advice on settlement agreements for both employers and senior employees, ensuring compliant, efficient and pragmatic outcomes. We also offer a streamlined service for organisations handling multiple agreements, delivering fast, reliable and cost‑effective independent legal support.
We provide transparent, fixed‑range pricing for defending employers in unfair or wrongful dismissal Tribunal claims, covering all key stages from initial advice to hearings. Our experienced team offers flexible support tailored to your needs, with clear guidance on timescales, complexity and funding options.
Our independent investigations service provides impartial, expert-led inquiries into complex workplace and organisational concerns, helping resolve issues fairly and prevent escalation. With specialist legal expertise across employment, safeguarding, regulatory compliance and data protection, we deliver tailored, sensitive investigations that inspire trust and accountability.
We advise employers and senior employees on drafting, enforcing and challenging post‑termination restrictive covenants, helping protect business interests while ensuring restrictions are fair, reasonable and enforceable. Our specialist team handles everything from evidence gathering and dispute resolution to high‑court injunctions, offering expert guidance across complex, high‑risk scenarios
We help employers meet their legal duty to prevent sexual harassment by providing practical guidance, tailored policies, risk assessments, training, and independent investigations. Our specialist employment lawyers support organisations in creating safe, compliant workplaces and managing complaints sensitively and effectively
We help employers navigate the complexities of TUPE during business sales, outsourcing, or insourcing—ensuring compliance, minimising risk, and protecting your organisation from costly liabilities. Our specialist employment solicitors provide practical guidance on when TUPE applies, which employees are affected, and how to manage consultations, contracts, indemnities and post‑transfer obligations.
The Hub is a fixed‑price employment support service that empowers managers to handle everyday HR issues confidently, with access to qualified employment lawyers, compliant templates, and practical tools. It reduces organisational risk while ensuring consistency, legal compliance and on‑demand guidance across your workforce.
Employment insights
Previous webinars
Your 30 minute employer’s guide to the Employment Rights Act 2025
Recording date: 8 January 2026
This webinar looks beyond the headlines to explain what the Employment Rights Act 2025 means in practice for employers. We will highlight the key changes, outline where action may be needed, and provide practical guidance on how organisations can prepare and remain compliant.
Whistleblowing
Recording date: 10 September 2025
We surveyed employers on the HR initiatives they plan to promote this year, and the one with the biggest year-on-year increase was whistleblowing.
An increasing number of employers are recognising the value of fostering a transparent workplace culture.
Recruitment
Recording date: 12 June 2025
Our survey highlighted two significant trends:
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Preparing for Day One Unfair Dismissal rights:
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49% of employers plan to offer enhanced training to recruitment personnel
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46% of employers intend to revamp their recruitment procedures
Regarding the recruitment landscape:
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45% predicted that recruitment would become harder this year
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55% anticipate greater difficulty in finding staff with the right skills this year
Our June webinar, hosted by Matt McBride and Rob Smedley, provided guidance on all stages of the recruitment process, with a focus on:
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Preventing discrimination in recruitment
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Use of AI (by employers and candidates)
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Common (and costly) mistakes in employment offers
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Diversity and Inclusion
Recording date: 19 April 2025
It was surprising to see that Diversity and Inclusion has apparently fallen so far down the priority list for employers. In 2024, it was listed third with 27% of employers including it in their “Top 5 priorities”. That figure has dramatically dropped to 5% in 2025.
This comes at a time when we have seen formal efforts by the US Government to reduce DEI initiatives. Whilst there is no current indication that the UK Government will do likewise, our survey results raise the question: are UK employers losing interest in D&I?
Our webinar delved into important current issues in this area, including the latest insights on the employer duty to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, A cautionary note about the increased risk of indirect discrimination claims under s19A Equality Act 2010 and an in-depth analysis of the recent pivotal Court of Appeal decision in Higgs v Farmor's School, exploring how the law applies where an employee’s protected religious beliefs cause offence to those with protected characteristics.
Employment Rights Bill: what has changed?
Recording date: 10 March 2025
Following a series of consultations, with input from trade unions and employers’ organisations, the Government last week announced a number of important changes to the Employment Rights Bill.
Watch the recording of our Employment Rights Bill webinar hosted by Matt McBride, discussing the key issues and what employers need to know about what is changing (and what has not changed)...
Alternatively you can read our article here.
Our accreditations
We are celebrating another year of accreditations and rankings.
Testimonials
"The quality of people relationships sets Freeths apart as they consistently bridge legal specialism, client expectations and integrity, whilst nev...
The Legal 500, 2026
"Freeths provide first class legal advice alongside a deep understanding of our needs and objectives as a business. Freeths always go that extra mi...
The Legal 500, 2026
"They have broad knowledge across their team, they provide a service with a client first approach, but giving range of solutions. They provide jarg...
The Legal 500, 2026
"Freeths have a rare degree of willingness to offer a range of pragmatic solutions to complex employment problems, and once a route is decided upon...
Chambers & Partners, 2026
"Freeths possess expert knowledge, and they have the ability to apply that knowledge to our industry and to make a very complex and emotive subject...
Chambers & Partners, 2026
"We commend Freeths for their exceptional commitment to personalised service, tailored advice and deep understanding of individual business needs."
Chambers & Partners, 2026
"Understanding our organisation has allowed Freeths to work proactively with us to address issues early or avert them altogether. I have not seen t...
Chambers & Partners, 2026
"We get a personalised service tailored to our business, and it feels like everyone in the team knows our business. Everyone is highly professional...
The Legal 500, 2025
"The employment team has helped us navigate a variety of HR issues that have arisen within our company. We’re an SME without a full-time HR interna...
The Legal 500, 2025
"I have worked with Freeths for over 25 years and know them to be excellent at what they do in all areas of employment."
The Legal 500, 2025
"The team brings a commercial view to employment law matters, which helps steer the business for the best decision. They also bring eLearning tools...
The Legal 500, 2025
"My interaction with Freeths was very people-centric. My company values its pragmatic and commercial advice. The Freeths team are highly focused on...
The Legal 500, 2025
"Freeths provides very prompt and knowledgeable responses. We are very happy with the support we receive."
Chambers & Partners, 2025
"The team at Freeths is friendly, pragmatic, commercial, responsive and always professional."
Chambers & Partners, 2025
“The team is very able at managing simple issues with care and attention, and very complex and fluid cases in a sophisticated and commercial manner.”
Chambers & Partners, 2025
"The team at Freeths is amazing, very knowledgeable and always available to satisfy our internal needs in terms of policies or administration."
The Legal 500, 2024
“Freeths handles complicated matters in a no-nonsense and impressive manner. The team distils complex matters and issues into digestible chunks to...
Chambers & Partners, 2024
“Freeths is a trusted partner in helping us to navigate more complex matters of employment law.”
Chambers & Partners, 2024
Meet our team
Rena Magdani
Partner & National Head of Employment, Pensions & Immigration
Melanie Stancliffe
Partner
Sarah Joseph-Bogues
Senior Associate
Mitchell Roberts
Senior Associate
Alexander Blackhall
Associate
Contact us today
Whatever your legal needs, our wide ranging expertise is here to support you and your business, so let’s start your legal journey today and get you in touch with the right lawyer to get you started.
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