Top ranked employment law team expands to meet growing workload

6th February, 2019

The head of Howes Percival’s highly rated employment law team says a marked increase in new instructions in the last 12 months is the reason behind a further expansion in its Leicester office.

The team, which acts for a wide range of Leicestershire businesses as well as nationally recognised household names such as Welcome Break and leading pub operator and independent brewer, Marston’s, has recently recruited solicitor Gurdeep Boparai to the team from Weightmans and welcomed back Nick Benton, who has re-joined the firm as an associate from Freeths LLP.

Paula Bailey, Partner and head of the employment law team at Howes Percival commented;

“Over the last year, we’ve seen a marked increase in instructions, including a substantial increase in Tribunal claims owing to the abolition of Tribunal fees in 2017. We have particular expertise in dealing with complex Tribunal matters, often entailing multiple respondents or individuals who remain in employment, raising grievances alongside Employment Tribunal claims. We are seeing many more of this type of claim.

“The introduction of the EU General Data Protection Regulation in May also caused an influx of work as employers sought to ensure compliance with the new regulations, while we continue to support employers on their day to day employment law matters and the Howes Percival Corporate team on employment law issues arising from acquisitions and mergers.

“As our workload continues to expand, I’m delighted to welcome Gurdeep to the team and Nick back to Howes Percival. Nick is a very respected senior employment lawyer and well known in the Leicester market. His ability to provide practical advice and business solutions is a real asset to clients.”

Nick Benton has experience in all aspects of employment law including both contentious and non-contentious matters. He advises employer clients in respect of all human resources issues as well as assisting with employment tribunal claims. Nick has a particular interest in employment status and matters which arise for employers in respect of this issue. He has acted for a wide range of businesses including those operating in the financial services and healthcare sectors and clients praise him for his commercial approach.

Paula Bailey continued,

“As our recent tier 1 ranking in The Legal 500 guide shows, our employment law team is a very powerful presence in the East Midlands. In addition to being experts in their respective fields, our lawyers are commercially focussed, and work with clients to find practical solutions to some, often, very tricky issues. This approach has been key in sustaining and growing our client base.”

Howes Percival achieved top tier rankings for employment law in the 2018 edition of The Legal 500, which is widely regarded as the authoritative guide to the UK’s leading law firms. The Legal 500 recommends firms and lawyers based on independent research, interviews and client feedback.

Top ranked employment law team expands to meet growing workload

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