Rena Magdani
Partner & National Head of Employment, Pensions & Immigration
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‘Rena Magdani has been an excellent person to work with – her knowledge, experience and expertise, along with being extremely responsive, is really appreciated.’
(The Legal 500, 2024)
Rena is a Partner and National Head of our Employment, Pensions & Immigration Team. She leads our team of talented, commercially-minded lawyers across our offices, who put excellent client service at the centre of everything we do.
She has over 22 years’ experience of providing commercial, pragmatic employment advice to private and public sector clients on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious matters, including discrimination, equal pay, unfair dismissal, TUPE, redundancy, business restructures and she provides strategic employment advice to senior management teams and boards.
Rena conducts her own advocacy in the employment tribunal and has a proven track record in successfully defending clients in complex multi-day hearings. She regularly speaks at seminars and provides bespoke training for clients.
Rena is listed as a Recommended Lawyer and recognised as a Leading Lawyer in The Legal 500 (2024 edition) for Employment since 2011. Rena is recognised as a Leading Individual in Chambers & Partners (2024 edition).
Legal Services
Employment
Rena’s work has included a range of contentious and non-contentious matters including discrimination, equal pay, unfair dismissal, outsourcing, TUPE, redundancy, business restructuring programs and providing strategic HR advice. She is recognised as a leading employment lawyer in The Legal 500 and Chambers.
Recent Work
- Advising a Building Society on a restructuring programme involving large scale redundancies and variation to terms and conditions of employment.
- Advising a multi-national security software company on the TUPE implications of off shoring.
- Advising a distribution company on the TUPE implications of winning a commercial warehousing and distribution contract.
- Successfully defending a national powered access company (including the advocacy) in a 5 day disability discrimination claim involving direct and indirect discrimination, and victimisation.
- Advising on the employment aspects of a major corporate transaction involving TUPE and large scale redundancies. Rena advised on due diligence information, warranties and indemnities in the Sale & Purchase Agreement, TUPE consultation obligations and the implementation of collective redundancies following the transfer.
- Providing bespoke training to HR Departments on a wide range of topics including, the Equality Act 2010, TUPE, Implementing Restructures and Reorganisations in the workplace and Handling Disciplinary and Grievance matters.
Sectors
Public Sector
Cases
- Successfully defending a County Council (including the advocacy) in a 7 day sex discrimination and unfair dismissal claim and successfully claiming substantial costs against the Claimant.
- Successfully defending a University in a 7 day Equal Pay case which was worth in excess of £200,000. Rena dealt with all aspects of the claim including advocacy at the hearing.
Logistics
Cases
- Successfully defending a national logistics company (including the advocacy) in a 4 day unfair dismissal claim involving fraud.
Latest
- Carer’s Leave Act update
- Engaging in grievance process does not prevent an employee claiming constructive dismissal
- Early redundancy consultation is still important
- Trade union not recognised in respect of Deliveroo workers
- Equality Act changes
- Carers Rights – Ideas for employers
- Reforms to WTR record-keeping, holiday pay and TUPE
- Interpretation of resignation given “in the heat of the moment”
- Bonus clawback provision was not an unlawful restraint of trade
- Changes to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act
- Duty for employers to take reasonable steps to prevent workplace sexual harassment
- Freeths Strengthens Employment, Pensions and Immigration Team with Eight New Lawyers
- World Menopause Day – some questions for employers
- Mind the Gap – an important holiday pay decision
- Losses flowing from whistleblowing detriment
- Determining the date of TUPE transfers is a complex scenario
- Reasonable adjustment during the recruitment process
- Gender pay gap reporting
- Rights under a share incentive plan transfer under TUPE
- Importance of notifying employees of gross misconduct rules
- Temporary ability to engage agency workers during strikes comes to an end
- Multiple postponements of a decision to terminate employment
- Employment Relations (Flexible Working) Act 2023
- Perception discrimination is a necessary element of harassment
- Applying the proportionality test where there is a controversial manifestation of protected characteristics
- Freeths’ new appointment to bolster national employment offering
- Calculation of holiday pay within a relevant agreement
- The Employment ‘Allocation of Tips’ Bill received Royal Assent
- The sunset of EU-derived law is cancelled, but there may be some reform of employment law
- New family friendly legislation: three government-backed Private Members Bills received Royal Assent
- Employment Law Bulletin – May 2023
- Employment Law Update – April 2023
- Employment Law Update – March 2023
- Employment Law Update – February 2023
- Employment Law Update – January 2023
- Employment Law Update – December 2022
- The World Cup: why is this time different for employers?
- Employment Law Update – November 2022
- Employment Law Update – September 2022
- Bank holiday announced for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II’s State Funeral – The impact for employers
- Employment Law Update – July 2022
- Freeths bolsters its highly successful national employment practice with a raft of new lawyers
- Statutory Guidance on the making and disclosure of Special Severance Payments by Local Authorities
- Employment Law Update – April 2022
- EHRC Guidance Published for Providers of Single Sex Services
- Living with COVID-19: Key considerations for employers
- Employment Law Review – January / February 2022
- COVID-19: What does lifting ‘Plan B’ mean for employers?
- Employment Webinar Series January – March 2022
- The Challenge of Labour Shortages and Pay Rises
- COVID-19: Key changes January 2022
- Employment Law Review – December 2021
- Employment Law Review – October 2021
- Freeths Expands Employment & Pensions Team with Four New Lawyers
- Employment Law Review – September 2021
- Employment Law Review – August 2021
- National Inclusion Week Webinar Series
- Employment Law Review – July 2021
- Employment Law Review – June 2021
- Employment Law Review – May 2021
- Employment Law Review – April 2021
- New Head of Employment, Pensions and Immigration at Freeths
- Employment Law Review – June 2020
- Changes to Employment Contracts and Section 1 Statements from 6 April 2020
- IR35 – Are you prepared? – East Midlands Seminar – 3 March 2020
- Employment Law Review – November 2019
- Employment Review – February 2019
- Employment Seminar: Performance Management – Leicester – 6th March
- Employment Review – July 2018
- Closing the Gender Pay Gap in your Business
- Logistics & Transport Legal Update: Autumn 2017
- Data Protection: the GDPR from an Employer’s Perspective
To contact Rena or for more information…
Call: 0345 272 5715
Mobile: 0771 119 9946
Or email: Send an email
- Employment Lawyers Association
“Rena has acted for DPD Group UK Ltd for over 21 years. I have been with DPD Group throughout that time and myself and my team have worked closely with Rena. Rena has an in-depth understanding of our business and provides us with a first class service in all aspects of employment law. Her professionalism and responsiveness is exceptional and I would not hesitate to recommend Rena to any future business partner or company.”
(Sharon Hughes MCIPD, Director of People and Talent)
“Rena provides excellent professional employment advice to AVG. Her technical knowledge, pragmatic approach and speed of response is impressive. I value the business partnering approach Rena applies and value the quality of the legal support that we receive from her.”
(Christophe Francois, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, AVG)
‘All individuals contacted have excellent skills and knowledge. I have worked with the Partner Rena Magdani for many years and I never had any problems with her advice. Always available to answer queries!’
(The Legal 500, 2024)
“Great relationship and knowledge of our business.” “Rena’s advice and support has been excellent, providing a rounded view on often complex issues and always providing a responsive service.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2024)
“Rena’s advice and support has been excellent, providing a rounded view on often complex issues and always providing a responsive service.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2024)
“Rena Magdani is an outstanding lawyer”
(The Legal 500, 2023)
“Rena has consistently provided excellent advice and support in a responsive manner. I have frequently recommended Rena to colleagues.”
(Chambers & Partners, 2023)
“Rena Magdani is extremely trustworthy, and can be relied on at all times. Her knowledge, commercial pragmatism and attention to detail are very much recognised. She is in effect an extension to our HR team.”
(The Legal 500, 2022)
“Rena Magdani is very professional, fair and commercial with her approach. Rena enables me to think about a different approach whilst ensuring that we remain in line with our company policies, procedures and culture. Rena listens and brings her advice to situations with a solid understanding of the situation. I am always impressed at her ability to remember details of each case, even if we have not spoken for a few weeks.”
(The Legal 500, 2022)
“Rena Magdani is a very dedicated partner with scrupulous attention to detail.”
(The Legal 500, 2022)
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