Services
Employment Law
Senior employment lawyers helping GCs, HR directors and CEOs handle the full range of employment issues, from day-to-day advice and contracts through to senior exits, tribunal claims and restructuring.
Senior employment advice, calibrated to your business
When you instruct Arbor Law on an employment matter, you work directly with senior employment lawyers who have done this work at scale before, many of whom have served as GC, head of employment or in-house counsel inside organisations. We will read the position quickly, set out the options in plain English, and run the matter in whatever shape suits your organisation.
The arrangement is simple: you stay in control of the decisions, and we get on with the work.
What you get when you instruct Arbor on an employment matter
A senior employment lawyer on the file from day one
Employment matters benefit from experienced legal judgement: someone who has encountered the breadth of situations that arise, can assess the real risks quickly and knows how to steer you towards the best outcome. At Arbor Law, we do not place layers between you and the judgement you need when the matter is sensitive, fast-moving or likely to affect the wider organisation, with prior senior employment roles at Kennedys and Taylor Wessing.
Advice that holds the legal, commercial and people picture together
Employment issues do not arise in a vacuum. A redundancy programme, a settlement negotiation or a tribunal defence all carry implications that go beyond the immediate legal question, for morale, for reputation, for the management team and for the business as a whole. Our lawyers keep that wider picture in view, so the advice you receive is grounded in what actually matters to your organisation rather than what is merely defensible on paper.
An engagement model that flexes between project work and ongoing support
Some businesses need intensive support through a specific situation, a restructure, a senior dispute or a tribunal claim. Others benefit from a consistent relationship that provides reliable employment advice as issues arise day to day. Our model is designed to work both ways, adapting to your needs rather than asking you to fit a fixed engagement structure that suits the firm more than it suits you.
Coverage across the full employment lifecycle, from contracts to exits
From putting the right contractual foundations in place at the start of an employment relationship, through managing performance, sickness and grievances, to handling exits and defending claims, we provide employment support across the full lifecycle, with advice that is clear, proportionate and focused on the right outcome for your business.
City-grade judgement at the right price point for your matter
Arbor Law was built to give you access to senior, City-trained lawyers without the leverage and overhead of a traditional firm: which matters particularly in employment, where the work ranges from a five-minute question on a sickness absence to a sensitive senior exit or a defended tribunal claim. Our model gives you reliable access to senior advice in a way that is proportionate to the issue at hand, not the size of the team behind it.
A working pattern that fits your HRD and in-house team
We sit alongside your HR director, people team and in-house legal function rather than around them: we work in the format and the cadence that suits you, and act as an extension of your function rather than another supplier to manage. Where you want us to lead the matter end-to-end, a senior exit, a TUPE programme, a defended tribunal claim, we do that. Where you want your HRD or in-house lawyer to lead and use us for senior input on the points that need it, a protected conversation, a settlement, a difficult grievance investigation, we do that too. The aim is the same either way: to take friction out of how employment work runs through the organisation, not add another layer to it.
What the engagement looks like in practice
Employment work, run well, looks different from one engagement to the next, but the underlying disciplines tend to be the same: senior eyes on the file early, an honest read of where the existing approach already does its job and where it does not, and a steady hand when something contentious lands, whether that is a tribunal claim, a senior exit, a grievance escalating into something more or a restructure that has to move quickly.
Most in-house teams arrive with a clear sense of one or two pressure points and a less clear sense of the others, and a fair amount of the value lies in mapping the picture honestly before recommending action. Where the existing contracts, policies or processes are sound, we say so and leave them alone; where they are creaking, we set out what to fix, in what order, and what the cost of leaving it would look like in legal, financial and cultural terms.
When the work is contentious, whether a defended tribunal claim, a sensitive senior exit, a protected conversation or a multi-site restructure, we run it the way an experienced GC or HRD would want it run: senior-led, calibrated to the commercial and people picture, and focused on protecting the organisation throughout. If the case for a particular course of action ever shifts, we will say so and recommend the alternative: that is the conversation an experienced HRD tends to want, and it is one we are comfortable having.
When you instruct Arbor on an employment matter, you can expect a senior-led view on the position quickly, a clear plan of what we are doing and why, and a single named lawyer accountable for the matter from start to finish.
Our employment law services to support your business, your people and your decision-making
Employment issues take many forms, but the underlying need tends to be the same: experienced legal support that helps you manage risk early, handle sensitive situations carefully and keep the business moving. We advise across a broad range of employment matters, shaping our support around the practical pressures you are dealing with.
Employment contracts and handbooks
Well-drafted employment contracts are the foundation of a clear and legally sound employment relationship: every employee, regardless of seniority, should have a written contract that accurately reflects the terms of the role and protects the interests of both sides. We draft and review employment contracts across all levels, from senior executive agreements to standard terms for wider teams, ensuring they are legally compliant, clearly written and tailored to your organisation.
We also draft staff handbooks that set out expectations clearly, support a positive working culture and give your managers a consistent framework for handling common workplace situations. A well-structured handbook reduces ambiguity, supports good decision-making and tends to reduce the risk of disputes arising in the first place.
Day-to-day employment advice and support
Employment law is complex, fast-moving and not always intuitive, and most businesses encounter situations at some point where they are genuinely unsure of the right course of action. We provide ongoing support with the full range of day-to-day employment queries, however straightforward or nuanced, including employment rights, sickness and ill-health absence, poor performance, disciplinary matters, grievances, discrimination, bullying and harassment, family-related rights, flexible working and employment status.
For businesses without in-house legal resources, or where an in-house team needs additional legal depth, we can operate as a trusted external adviser, available when issues arise and familiar enough with your organisation to give advice that is relevant and immediately applicable.
Managing difficult employment relationships
When the relationship between an employer and an employee has broken down, or is showing serious signs of strain, knowing how to respond, and how to do so lawfully, can be genuinely difficult. We help businesses navigate these situations with clarity and care, whether the most appropriate response is internal resolution, a protected conversation, a settlement agreement or, where necessary, a more formal process.
We can support you through difficult conversations, advise on the legal requirements around protected pre-termination negotiations, and draft and negotiate settlement agreements that bring the employment relationship to a clean and well-protected conclusion, safeguarding your interests and reducing the risk of subsequent claims.
Employment tribunal claims
When a tribunal claim lands, understanding your legal position quickly and accurately is essential: the exposure tends to be significant in financial and reputational terms, and the steps taken in the first weeks usually have a material bearing on how the matter develops. We help you assess the merits of the claim, understand your options and determine the most effective course of action, whether that means defending the claim, exploring early resolution or negotiating a settlement.
From unfair dismissal and wrongful termination to discrimination, whistleblowing and breach of contract, we handle contentious employment claims of every kind, representing your business and keeping your interests firmly at the centre of the strategy throughout.
Restructuring, redundancy and TUPE
Restructuring a business or making redundancies is rarely straightforward: the legal requirements around consultation, selection and process must be followed carefully if the organisation is to avoid claims further down the line. We advise on restructuring and redundancy processes of all kinds, helping you manage the legal requirements clearly and treat the people affected fairly, both of which matter for the outcome and for the organisation’s reputation and culture.
Where a transfer of employees is involved, whether through an outsourcing arrangement, a business sale or a change of service provider, we advise on TUPE obligations and help you manage the transfer process in a way that is compliant, well-documented and as smooth as possible for everyone involved.
Get in touch today
If an employment matter is on your desk, the sooner the right lawyer sees it the better. Send us a short note about what you are dealing with and one of us will come back to you personally, often the same day, to talk it through. The first conversation is on us, and if we are not the right firm for the job we will tell you and, where we can, point you to someone who is.
- +44 (0)20 7355 0540
- info@arbor.law
- 20 North Audley Street, London W1K 6WE
