Laura Tracey
Partner
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Laura has over 15 years’ post-qualification experience advising on all areas of employment law and has particular specialism in advising in the retail and food and drink sectors. She has supported employers of all sizes including many national and international operators and household names throughout the UK and on cross-border matters.
Laura has specialist experience of advising on acquisitions and disposals and works closely with the firm’s corporate team to guide businesses, individual shareholders and investors through the employment aspects of transactions. This includes drafting and negotiating on Service Agreements and Settlement Agreements for both corporate clients and senior individuals.
Laura builds lasting relationships with clients and is known for her simple and pragmatic approach which allows clients to achieve the results they want, without being bogged down in unnecessary process.
Laura has a keen interest in the beauty sector and has a number of years’ experience advising one of the world’s largest health and beauty retailer on all of its HR and employment law matters including strategic advice, day to day HR matters and Employment Tribunal litigation. Laura’s effective and proactive management of employment law matters for her beauty and personal care clients helps them to protect their brand and reputation, attract and retain staff and ultimately grow their business in ‘the right way’ and in accordance with their values.
Legal Services
Employment
Recent Work
- Advising the senior executive team of The Gym King Limited (a global sportswear brand) on the employment aspects of a multi-million pound investment by JD Sports (high street and online sportswear retailer).
- Successfully defending allegations against a luxury retail brand that they had failed in their duty to keep staff safe in the workplace by ignoring covid/lockdown restrictions, which threatened the company’s reputation.
- Advising a global technology company on a redundancy and restructuring programme which involved the outsourcing of a number of its operations to India.
Sectors
Drinks, Hospitality & Leisure
- Laura provided support to an international food and drink group employing over 7,000 people on all day-to-day issues covering Head Office, Manufacturing and strategic projects across the business. For example, Laura supported the group on the phased closure and subsequent sale of a manufacturing facility over the period of three years, affecting over 200 employees. She worked with the Board to plan and deliver a communications plan to employees and recognised trade unions to do the “right thing” by staff, whilst also maintaining productivity over the long consultation period and complying with collective obligations. She worked with corporate advisers on the sale documentation and the subsequent transfer of employees to the new ownership under TUPE, together with transitional services arrangements under a ‘co-packing agreement’. The sale was concluded smoothly and according to the projected timescales, without sacrificing brand reputation or giving rise to any Employment Tribunal litigation.
- Laura provided day to day employment advice to a multinational drink and brewing company with over 17,000 employees worldwide. Laura took the time to understand the client, the sector in which it operated and its challenges to make sure her advice was always ‘right for the business’ not just technically correct. Laura also worked to improve efficiencies within the HR team by identifying skills gaps, creating and delivering tailored training and in doing so, helping to reduce legal spend year on year.
- Laura defended a constructive unfair dismissal, sex and disability discrimination claim against a drinks manufacturing company by a senior executive, following allegations of systemic bullying within the organisation. Laura’s pragmatic and early assessment of the prospects of the claim, together with her strong negotiation skills, achieved a favourable settlement for the employer at an early stage.
Retail
- Laura advised fashion brand Self-Portrait on its acquisition of the iconic luxury dress brand “Roland Mouret”, including negotiating terms for the new Co-Creative Director.
- Laura provided advice to the world’s largest health and beauty retailer, covering everything from day-to-day employee relations matters to major change projects and Tribunal litigation.
- Laura advised a national retailer with a redundancy and change to terms and conditions project affecting almost every one of its 250 stores across the UK and Ireland. The business were looking to increase the flexibility of its workforce and reduce costs by removing a level of management in each store, whilst changing the responsibilities and hours-requirements of the remaining roles. Through careful planning and an understanding of the client’s paternalistic culture, Laura helped the client to achieve almost 100% consent to the changes, with the remaining employees choosing to either be redeployed or take voluntary redundancy. Not a single Employment Tribunal claim was lodged as a result of the programme, despite being the most significant project the HR team had ever undertaken.
Latest
- Baby Loss Awareness: How to Support your Employees webinar
- Freeths advises Intralink Group on significant investment from Mobeus
- Freeths advises on acquisition of ADHD and Autism Assessment Clinic
- Freeths advises on investment in energy tech specialist Wattstor
- Women Breaking Barriers: top tips from women at the top of their game
- Freeths advises Blue-i Group on significant investment from BGF
- HR Matters: The rising cost of sickness related absence in the workplace – How to support your employees and manage the long term effects
- Employment law webinar: Whistleblowing – the current landscape
- Freeths advises Maven Capital Partners UK LLP on £3 million investment in Bud Systems Limited
- Freeths advises Redmoor Health on significant strategic investment
- Freeths advise BGF-backed Hydrock on two acquisitions
- Disciplinary and Grievance Investigations: how to get a gold star
- Freeths advises leading Oxford financial adviser
- Freeths advises on significant investment from Palatine Private Equity into Cura Terrae Group
- Freeths supports Definition Group on further transactions
- Freeths Advise QPR Newco LLC on the Purchase of Stake in Championship Football Club Queens Park Rangers
- Employment Webinar Series January – March 2022
- National Inclusion Week Webinar Series
- Freeths has provided legal advice to Gym King on its multi-million-pound investment from FTSE 100 listed JD Sports.
- Freeths advises Definition Agency on its third acquisition in seven months
- Freeths supports leading private equity firm Mobeus Equity Partners’ investment in The Boundary
- HR Matters legal clinic: Exiting Lockdown
To contact Laura or for more information…
Call: 0345 166 6349
Mobile: 0797 389 7387
Or email: Send an email
Client service
‘Doing the right thing’ is at the heart of Freeths. Find out more about our excellent client service and the strong set of values that guide the way we work.
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Contact: 03301 001 014