Employment Contract Lawyers: 10 UK Specialists for Contracts and Workplace Dispute

Updated: 2 November 2026

Employment contracts govern far more than salary and working hours. For employers, they establish duties, protections and procedures that can determine what happens when someone joins, changes role or leaves.

For employees and senior executives, individual clauses covering bonuses, notice, confidentiality, restrictive covenants, garden leave and termination can materially affect future career options.

That is why experienced employment contract lawyers become particularly valuable when the contract involves senior appointments, substantial remuneration, cross-border responsibilities, restrictive covenants or a developing workplace dispute.

UK law also distinguishes an employment contract from the statutory written statement of employment particulars.

Employers must provide the principal written statement on or before the first day of work, while certain additional information can follow within two months. The employment contract itself can be broader and may include written, verbally agreed and incorporated terms.

Our review examines ten established UK employment lawyers with substantial published experience across employment contracts, executive appointments, restrictive covenants, departures, restructuring and workplace disputes.

Lawyer	Current position	Particularly relevant experience
Michael Burd	Consultant Partner, Lewis Silkin	Senior departures, boardroom issues, restructuring and disputes
Nicola Rabson	Employment Partner, Linklaters	Executive contracts, terminations, investigations and restrictive covenants
Jane Mann	Partner, Fox Williams	Employment contracts, senior executives, severance and disputes
Gareth Brahams	Managing Partner, BDBF	Senior contracts, severance, partnership agreements and litigation
Nicholas Robertson	Partner, Keystone Law	Contract drafting, recruitment, termination and restrictive covenants
Clare Murray	Founder and Managing Partner, CM Murray	Senior executives, partners, exits and restrictive covenants
Monica Kurnatowska	Senior Counsel, Baker McKenzie	Contract changes, restructuring, M&A and senior executive issues
Daniel Naftalin	Managing Partner, Mishcon de Reya	Recruitment, termination, restrictive covenants and senior executives
Sarah Henchoz	Partner and Global Head of Employment, A&O Shearman	Global contracts, workforce issues and business protection
James Davies	Consultant Partner, Lewis Silkin	Contracts, people strategy and future-of-work issues

The order follows the requested shortlist and should not be interpreted as a formal ranking.

What Do Employment Contract Lawyers Actually Help With?

Employment contract lawyers can become involved before an employment relationship begins, while it is operating and when it ends.

A lawyer advising an employer may draft contracts designed around the organisation’s commercial requirements. An employee-side lawyer may instead review an offer and identify provisions that could restrict earnings, mobility or future employment.

Common areas include:

• Employment contract drafting and review
• Executive service agreements
• Pay and bonus provisions
• Commission arrangements
• Equity and share incentives
• Notice periods
• Probation clauses
• Garden leave
• Confidential information
• Intellectual property
• Post-termination restrictions
• Non-compete clauses
• Non-solicitation provisions
• Mobility clauses
• Flexible and hybrid working terms
• Changes to employment conditions
• TUPE-related contractual issues
• Settlement agreements
• Redundancy and termination
• Breach of contract disputes

The contractual issues often become most important when employment is ending.

A carefully drafted restrictive covenant, bonus clause or notice provision that appeared relatively unimportant when the employee joined can become central to negotiations several years later.

Employees negotiating departures may consequently require advice that overlaps with settlement agreement solicitors, particularly where contractual claims are being settled alongside statutory employment claims.

Contract Drafting and Risk Prevention

For businesses, good employment drafting is primarily a form of risk management.

An employment lawyer can make sure that contractual provisions match the employer’s actual working arrangements rather than relying on an old template.

A senior executive contract, for example, may need to coordinate:

• Base salary
• Discretionary bonus
• Long-term incentives
• Share options
• Regulatory obligations
• Confidentiality
• Intellectual property
• Notice
• Garden leave
• Restrictive covenants

Bonus provisions deserve particular care because apparently small differences between contractual, discretionary and conditional wording can become important when an employee leaves.

Specialist advice concerning bonus employment disputes and contractual bonus rights may become relevant where remuneration is a substantial part of the overall package.

Contract Disputes and Departures

Employment lawyers also become involved when the working relationship has deteriorated.

The issue might involve unpaid remuneration, a disputed change in responsibilities, notice pay, contractual benefits, restrictive covenants or an alleged fundamental breach.

Where an employee believes an employer has seriously breached the employment relationship, advice may overlap with constructive dismissal and contractual breach issues.

Early advice can be important because the legal and commercial strategy used before resignation or termination can affect the options available later.

Top 10 Employment Contract Lawyers in the UK

The following profiles focus on what each lawyer’s current published practice says they actually handle, how that experience may help clients and what prospective clients should understand before choosing them.

1. Michael Burd – Lewis Silkin LLP

Michael Burd is currently a Consultant Partner in London and has more than 30 years of employment-law experience.

His practice covers employment and partnership law, with particular emphasis on senior departures, high-level disputes, boardroom matters, restructuring, business transfers, mediation and arbitration.

His background is particularly relevant where an employment contract problem has developed beyond straightforward drafting.

For example, his experience can be relevant where:

• A senior executive is leaving a business.
• Restrictive contractual obligations may become contentious.
• A boardroom disagreement affects employment status.
• A business is restructuring senior roles.
• Employment and partnership issues overlap.
• A dispute involves different jurisdictions.

His published profile also records significant work for professional-services businesses, law firms, financial-services organisations and partnerships.

That means his work is not limited to reviewing standard employment paperwork. The stronger fit is likely to be a commercially important contract or dispute involving senior people and organisational risk.

What clients should know: Michael’s practice is particularly concentrated on strategic and high-level employment problems rather than routine HR administration.

His international experience can also matter when the employment contract has cross-border elements.

Website: Michael Burd – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Michael Burd – LinkedIn

2. Nicola Rabson – Linklaters LLP

Nicola Rabson is a London Employment Partner with extensive experience advising organisations on sensitive and high-profile people matters.

Her practice covers employment litigation, senior appointments and terminations, restrictive covenants, team moves, investigations, restructuring and major international projects.

Her work is particularly relevant where an employment contract sits within a larger business or reputational problem.

A company might seek her advice when:

• Recruiting or terminating a senior executive
• Protecting confidential information
• Enforcing restrictive covenants
• Responding to a team move
• Managing a workplace investigation
• Reorganising a workforce
• Handling an executive-level dispute
• Coordinating employment matters across jurisdictions

Nicola’s own description of her client approach is particularly useful. She says:

“I aim to be an accessible and solutions-focused adviser.”

That captures an important point about complex employment-contract advice: technical accuracy alone is not always enough.

Senior management often needs a lawyer who can translate legal risk into practical options while dealing with a rapidly developing situation.

What clients should know: Her practice is particularly suited to complex employer-side and senior-level matters where contracts, governance, workplace culture or reputation interact.

Website: Nicola Rabson – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Nicola Rabson – LinkedIn

3. Jane Mann – Fox Williams LLP

Jane Mann is a long-standing employment partner whose practice covers employers, firms, partners and senior executives.

Her published experience includes employment contracts, strategic HR matters, severance negotiations, restrictive covenants, employee competition, governance, dispute resolution and litigation.

She has been an employment partner at Fox Williams since 1994.

Jane’s work can be particularly relevant where a contractual problem has significant commercial or reputational consequences.

Examples include:

• Senior executive contracts
• Contractual departure negotiations
• Restrictive covenant disputes
• Partnership issues
• Confidentiality
• Employee competition
• Strategic HR problems
• Tribunal or court litigation

Her sector experience includes financial services, insurance, professional services and technology-related businesses.

How she may help clients: Jane’s published practice shows a combination of advisory and contentious work.

This means a client can seek advice while trying to prevent a dispute and, if resolution proves impossible, deal with the litigation consequences within the same broader employment strategy.

What clients should know: She is particularly associated with difficult senior-level problems where commercial judgement and employment law need to be considered together.

Website: Jane Mann – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Jane Mann – LinkedIn

4. Gareth Brahams – BDBF LLP

Gareth Brahams is the Managing Partner of BDBF and has around 30 years of employment-law experience.

His current profile covers senior executives, founders, employees, employers, partners and LLP members.

Particular areas include discrimination, whistleblowing, restrictive covenants, team moves, TUPE disputes, severance negotiations and contractual terms for senior executives and partners.

For employment-contract work, his experience is particularly relevant to:

• Negotiating a new senior executive contract
• Reviewing partnership or membership agreements
• Negotiating severance terms
• Challenging or enforcing restrictive covenants
• Dealing with a senior-level dispute
• Managing high-value termination negotiations
• Contractual issues linked to whistleblowing or discrimination

Gareth has described the firm’s focus as helping people involved in “high value/high stakes disputes”, while also advising employers facing the other side of those issues.

This makes his profile particularly relevant when a contract review is not merely administrative but connected with significant financial or career consequences.

What clients should know: Gareth advises both sides of senior employment matters. That employer-and-individual perspective can be useful where negotiation strategy matters as much as the contractual wording itself.

Website: Gareth Brahams – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Gareth Brahams – LinkedIn

5. Nicholas Robertson – Keystone Law

Nicholas “Nick” Robertson is a Partner specialising in employment law and has advised employers since qualifying as a solicitor in 1988.

His current practice specifically includes employment contracts, recruitment, terminations, restrictive covenants, employee consultation, TUPE, outsourcing and disputes.

He also represents senior executives when joining or leaving organisations.

His contract-related experience makes him particularly relevant for businesses needing help with:

• Drafting employment contracts
• Reviewing employment documentation
• Senior recruitment
• Contractual termination
• Restrictive covenants
• Collective consultation
• Restructuring
• TUPE
• Outsourcing
• Boardroom disputes

Nick is also a trained mediator, giving clients another potential route where the aim is to resolve a disagreement without escalating immediately into litigation.

His published litigation experience covers the Employment Tribunal, County Court, High Court and Court of Appeal.

What clients should know: His practice has a particularly clear employer-contract focus, while his senior-executive work means he also understands how contractual provisions affect an individual moving between competing businesses.

Where a business transfer affects contracts, specialist TUPE employment-law advice can become especially relevant because contractual rights do not exist independently of transfer rules.

Website: Nicholas Robertson – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Nicholas Robertson – LinkedIn

6. Clare Murray – CM Murray LLP

Clare Murray is the Founder and Managing Partner of CM Murray and has practised as a solicitor since 1993.

Her work combines employment and partnership law, with particular experience advising senior executives, founders, multinational employers, professional-services firms and equity partners.

Her published employment work includes:

• Senior executive advice
• Contractual exits
• Restrictive covenants
• Team moves
• Partner investigations
• Performance and conduct issues
• Whistleblowing
• Discrimination
• Regulatory investigations
• Partnership disputes

This combination can be especially important for executives whose position does not fit neatly into an ordinary employee/employer relationship.

A partner, founder, board member or regulated executive may have rights and obligations spread across employment contracts, shareholder documents, partnership agreements and regulatory obligations.

How she may help clients: Clare’s experience is particularly useful where the contractual strategy has to account for both employment rights and senior management or partnership status.

What clients should know: Her practice is strongly associated with high-level employment and partnership work, including situations requiring discretion because of regulatory, professional or reputational implications.

Website: Clare Murray – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Clare Murray – LinkedIn

7. Monica Kurnatowska – Baker McKenzie

Monica Kurnatowska is currently Senior Counsel in London and is a former partner in the Employment & Compensation practice.

Her current profile places particular emphasis on business transformation, international reorganisations, M&A, post-acquisition integration, restructures, redundancies, outsourcing and changes to employment terms and conditions.

That makes her especially relevant when contract changes affect a workforce rather than just one employee.

Her experience includes:

• Changing contractual terms
• Global workforce restructures
• Redundancy exercises
• M&A-related employment matters
• Post-acquisition harmonisation
• Outsourcing
• TUPE
• Works councils
• Union issues
• Senior executive appointments and exits
• Discrimination and whistleblowing disputes
• Bonus disputes

How she may help clients: A business implementing organisational change needs to consider more than the wording of the new contract.

Consultation, existing contractual rights, collective arrangements and local employment law can all affect how changes should be introduced.

Monica’s cross-border and transformation experience is therefore particularly relevant to multinational employers or companies undertaking structural change.

What clients should know: Her current role is Senior Counsel rather than Partner, an important update from older employment-law lists.

Website: Monica Kurnatowska – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Monica Kurnatowska – LinkedIn

8. Daniel Naftalin – Mishcon de Reya LLP

Daniel Naftalin became Managing Partner of Mishcon de Reya in July 2026 after previously chairing the Employment department.

He continues to have substantial employment-law experience across contentious and non-contentious matters.

His practice includes:

• Employment contracts
• Recruitment
• Termination
• Discrimination
• Restrictive covenants
• Team moves
• Whistleblowing
• Restructuring
• Senior executive matters
• High Court litigation
• Employment Tribunal proceedings

Daniel’s profile records particularly substantial experience in financial services, including investment banking, private equity and hedge funds, alongside recruitment, media and sport.

He has advised senior executives on contracts, terminations and career issues, which makes his background particularly relevant where employment terms involve substantial remuneration or post-employment restrictions.

What clients should know: Daniel now combines his Managing Partner role with an established history of senior employment work.

His published experience is particularly strong where contractual issues are likely to become contentious.

Website: Daniel Naftalin – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Daniel Naftalin – LinkedIn

9. Sarah Henchoz – A&O Shearman

Sarah Henchoz is a London Partner and Global Head of Employment.

Her practice is international, with particular emphasis on global workforce matters, business protection, workplace conduct, restrictive covenants, whistleblowing, discrimination, sensitive investigations and major organisational change.

Her published experience is especially relevant to employers dealing with complex or multinational contractual projects.

One notable example involved advising an international financial institution reviewing employment contracts across 52 countries as part of a project to establish a more universal contractual structure.

Her broader work includes:

• Global contract projects
• Workforce harmonisation
• Senior management changes
• Post-acquisition integration
• Restructuring
• Restrictive covenants
• Workplace investigations
• Discrimination and whistleblowing disputes
• M&A employment issues

How she may help clients: Sarah’s experience is particularly relevant where one employment-contract strategy needs to work across several jurisdictions without ignoring local employment rules.

What clients should know: Her practice is principally employer-focused and particularly strong where contracts intersect with business protection, workplace culture or multinational workforce management.

Website: Sarah Henchoz – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: Sarah Henchoz – LinkedIn

10. James Davies – Lewis Silkin LLP

James Davies is currently a Consultant Partner and co-founded Lewis Silkin’s employment practice with Michael Burd in 1992.

His current work includes strategic employment-law advice, international employment matters, day-to-day support for HR teams and owner-managed businesses, and advice for senior executives, partners and LLP members.

He has a particular interest in the future of work and artificial intelligence in the workplace, an increasingly relevant area for employment contracts as organisations introduce new technology, monitoring systems and AI-related workplace policies.

His experience can therefore be relevant for:

• Employment-contract strategy
• International hiring
• Senior executive arrangements
• Professional-services businesses
• Workforce policy
• Changing workplace practices
• AI-related workforce issues
• People strategy
• Employment-law risk management

What clients should know: James’s profile combines traditional employment advice with strategic thinking about how workplace relationships are evolving.

That can be particularly useful for employers updating contract structures rather than dealing only with an isolated dispute.

Website: James Davies – Official Professional Profile
LinkedIn Profile: James Davies – LinkedIn

What Must an Employment Contract Include Under Current UK Rules?

One important point for both employers and employees is that the employment contract and written statement of employment particulars are not exactly the same document.

Current law requires employees and qualifying workers to receive a written statement setting out key employment particulars. The principal statement must be provided on or before the first day of employment.

It normally needs to address matters including:

Contract information	What should be clear
Employer and worker	Names of the parties
Start date	When employment begins
Role	Job title or work description
Pay	Amount and payment frequency
Hours	Normal hours/days and how they can vary
Holiday	Entitlement and holiday pay
Workplace	Normal location and relocation provisions
Probation	Duration and conditions
Benefits	Contractual and relevant non-contractual benefits
Notice	Notice required on termination
Training	Mandatory training requirements
Fixed-term role	Expected duration or end date

Information on pensions, collective agreements, non-compulsory training and disciplinary and grievance procedures can generally be supplied within the wider statement no later than two months after employment starts.

A specialist lawyer often goes much further than those statutory particulars.

Depending on the role, an employment contract may also need detailed provisions governing confidentiality, intellectual property, commission, bonus arrangements, garden leave, restrictive covenants, regulatory responsibilities and termination rights.

Can an Employment Contract Be Legally Binding Without a Written Agreement?

Yes.

An employment relationship is not necessarily invalid merely because there is no signed document.

Current guidance confirms that employment-contract terms can arise from:

• Written terms
• Verbal agreements
• Incorporated policies
• Collective agreements
• In some circumstances, established workplace practice

Express terms agreed verbally can still be legally binding, although certain particulars have to be provided in the statutory written statement.

This distinction is one reason contract disputes can become complicated.

The parties may disagree not only about what a written clause means, but about whether another term became part of the contract through a conversation, policy or established practice.

Can an Employer Change Employment Contract Terms?

Employment-contract terms cannot normally be treated as freely changeable simply because an employer wants a different arrangement.

Current guidance states that proposed contractual changes will generally need agreement between employer and employee or worker, subject to collective arrangements and the specific legal circumstances.

Common proposed changes include:

• Pay
• Working hours
• Place of work
• Duties
• Commission structures
• Bonus arrangements
• Benefits
• Hybrid-working requirements
• Notice provisions

Once changes to the main terms have been agreed, employers must put relevant changes in writing. Current guidance says changes to the statutory written particulars should generally be notified within one month.

For businesses considering dismissal and re-engagement to impose new terms, the legal risk can be substantially higher and should not be treated as an ordinary contract-editing exercise.

When Can a Contract Lawyer Help With TUPE or Restructuring?

Employment contracts become particularly important when businesses are sold, outsourced, reorganised or merged.

In a TUPE situation, an employee’s existing terms may transfer to the new employer, and attempts to change them can engage specific statutory protections.

This means lawyers may need to examine:

• Existing employment contracts
• Collective arrangements
• Employee benefits
• Bonus rights
• Pension implications
• Proposed harmonisation
• Redundancies
• Consultation obligations
• Restrictive covenants

This is why lawyers such as Monica Kurnatowska, Sarah Henchoz, Michael Burd and Nicholas Robertson have published experience that combines contract advice with restructuring, M&A or TUPE matters.

When Should Employees Speak to an Employment Contract Lawyer?

Not every employment contract requires specialist legal advice.

However, advice becomes more valuable where the financial or career consequences of a clause are substantial.

An employee should consider legal advice particularly where:

• The role is senior or board-level.
• A significant part of remuneration depends on bonus or commission.
• Equity or share options form part of the package.
• The contract contains a long notice period.
• There is a non-compete clause.
• The employer wants broad confidentiality obligations.
• Garden leave could affect the next job.
• The employee is moving between competitors.
• Existing contractual terms are being changed.
• The employee is being dismissed.
• A settlement agreement has been proposed.
• The employee believes the employer has breached the contract.

Advice before signing can sometimes avoid a much more expensive dispute later.

When Should Employers Use an Employment Contract Lawyer?

Businesses should particularly consider specialist advice when a standard template no longer reflects the commercial risk of a role.

Common situations include:

• Hiring directors or executives
• Protecting intellectual property
• Protecting confidential client information
• Introducing commission arrangements
• Designing bonus schemes
• Employing people internationally
• Hiring employees from competitors
• Using restrictive covenants
• Moving to hybrid working
• Restructuring roles
• Acquiring another business
• Implementing redundancies
• Terminating senior employees

A contract that is too weak may fail to protect the employer.

A contract that goes too far can create a different problem—for example, a restrictive covenant may become difficult to enforce if it extends beyond what is reasonably necessary to protect legitimate business interests.

How Have Employment Contract Disputes Changed Recently?

The procedural landscape has changed materially.

For most Employment Tribunal claims arising from problems occurring on or after 1 October 2026, the usual claim period has increased from three months to six months.

Breach-of-contract claims in England and Wales were included in the change from 1 October 2026.

Where an employment contract dispute cannot be resolved informally, the possible routes can include:

• Internal grievance procedures
• Negotiation
• Acas early conciliation
• Settlement agreement
• Employment Tribunal
• Civil court proceedings
• Mediation
• Arbitration in appropriate cases

Employment Tribunal breach-of-contract claims have specific jurisdictional restrictions.

Current government guidance states that contractual claims in the tribunal generally relate to an employment contract issue that remains unresolved when employment ends, and tribunal compensation for such a claim is capped at £25,000.

The appropriate forum can therefore depend on the value, nature and timing of the dispute.

How Should You Choose Between Employment Contract Lawyers?

The most recognisable name is not automatically the right lawyer for every case.

A better selection process is to match the lawyer’s published practice with the actual problem.

Your situation	Experience to prioritise
Reviewing an ordinary employee contract	Contract drafting and advisory work
Senior executive joining a competitor	Restrictive covenants and executive contracts
Director leaving a company	Termination, severance and board-level advice
Bonus disagreement	Contractual remuneration and disputes
Business acquisition	TUPE, restructuring and M&A
International workforce	Cross-border employment law
Partner or LLP dispute	Employment plus partnership expertise
Tribunal claim	Contentious employment litigation
High-value negotiated exit	Settlement and senior executive work
Workforce-wide contract changes	Consultation and restructuring experience

Before instructing a lawyer, ask:

• Who will actually handle the work?
• Does the lawyer normally advise employers, individuals or both?
• Have they dealt with this type of contractual issue?
• Is litigation likely to be required?
• Is international advice necessary?
• What charging structure will apply?
• Is the objective contract negotiation, dispute resolution or litigation?

For employees concerned about litigation costs, information about no win no fee employment solicitors and alternative funding structures may also be relevant, although funding availability always depends on the individual case and firm.

Conclusion

Employment contract lawyers can add the most value where the wording of an agreement has significant financial, commercial or career consequences.

The ten lawyers reviewed here bring different strengths, ranging from executive contracts and restrictive covenants to global restructuring, partnership disputes and Tribunal litigation.

The right choice therefore depends on the problem rather than name recognition alone.

Employers should consider sector knowledge, international requirements and dispute risk, while employees should focus on remuneration, termination rights and post-employment restrictions.

Getting advice before signing or changing important contractual terms can often reduce uncertainty and prevent a manageable issue developing into expensive litigation.

FAQs

Do I need a lawyer to review an employment contract?

Not for every contract. Legal advice is most useful where the role involves significant remuneration, restrictive covenants, equity, senior responsibilities or unusual termination provisions.

Can an employment lawyer negotiate my contract before I sign it?

Yes. A lawyer can identify potentially problematic clauses and negotiate matters such as notice, bonus rights, restrictive covenants, benefits, garden leave and termination terms.

Can an employer change my employment contract without agreement?

Contract changes generally require agreement, although the legal position depends on the contract, collective arrangements and circumstances.

Employers should follow a proper consultation process before making significant changes.

Is a verbal employment agreement legally binding?

It can be. Employment-contract terms can be agreed verbally, although employers still have statutory duties to provide written particulars covering specified terms.

What happens if my employer breaches my contract?

Possible responses can include raising the issue internally, negotiation, grievance procedures or legal proceedings. The correct route depends on the breach, whether employment continues and the loss involved.

Can an employment lawyer challenge a non-compete clause?

Yes. Employment lawyers regularly advise on whether restrictive covenants are enforceable and can negotiate, challenge or seek to enforce them depending on which party they represent.

Can an employment contract lawyer help with a settlement agreement?

Yes. Contractual rights such as notice, bonus, holiday, benefits and restrictive covenants are often considered alongside the statutory claims being settled.

How quickly should I obtain advice after an employment dispute?

As early as possible. Most Employment Tribunal claims now generally have a six-month limit where the relevant problem occurred on or after 1 October 2026, but specific deadlines and Acas procedures still need checking.