Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP > London, England > Firm Profile
Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP Offices
Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP
Kings House
36 King Street
LONDON
EC2V 8BB
England
Kings House
36 King Street
LONDON
EC2V 8BB
England
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Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP > The Legal 500 Rankings
Employment > Senior executives Tier 1
Recognised for its ‘willingness to litigate new points of law for clients and take risks’, the team at Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP specialises in both contentious and non-contentious work. The firm advises prominent individuals in financial companies, various retailers, and media companies on appointments and departures. Gareth Brahams
spearheads the practice with a ‘tactical nous that it unmatched anywhere in the City,’ leading on cases concerning whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and sexual misconduct. Specialising in employment law, Claire Dawson handles cross-jurisdictional disability discrimination cases. Other key team members include Paula Chan, who is ‘strategically astute, meticulous and attuned to the client’s needs’, and regularly handles high-value disability discrimination and victimisation cases, and Polly Rodway, who leads on public sector appointments and departures as well as general team moves. Nick Wilcox, whose forte is regulatory work, is noted for his ‘outstanding strategic direction’. Clare Brereton, who made partner in March 2023, specialises in harassment and whistleblowing cases. Managing associate Samantha Prosser is also commended. Practice head(s):
Gareth Brahams
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The team at BDBF is highly respected – they have a hands-on approach to serving their clients that delivers excellent results. The quality of service is consistently high throughout the team and there is strength in depth. They are a responsive, well organised and very user-friendly team.’
‘Paula Chan is a stand-out individual – she is strategically astute, meticulous and attuned to the client’s needs.’
‘BDBF has boutique DNA with established-firm resources and experience with a willingness to litigate new points of law for clients and take risks. One of the best and most innovative firms out there.’
‘Nick Wilcox is hard working and remains cool under pressure. Outstanding strategic direction and client-handling skills.’
‘Nick Wilcox is very experienced, with strong client relationships.’
‘Gareth Brahams is a titan of the employment law world. Combines an encyclopedic knowledge of key employment law principles with a tactical nous that it unmatched anywhere in the City. A formidable negotiator.’
‘Claire Dawson is top notch. Able to process and digest vast volumes of material in order to pull out the key issues in a case. Her judgement is impeccable.’
Key clients
Bradley Jones (JP Morgan)
Declan Meenan (Tesco)
Protect
Work highlights
- Acted for Declan Meenan in a whistleblowing case against Tesco’s in-house pension fund management company.
- Acted for Bradley Jones in Tribunal litigation with JP Morgan relating to the interaction between unfair dismissal remedies of re-employment and an employer’s duty to assess its employees’ fitness and propriety under the FCA’s Senior Managers Regime.
- Instructed by Protect, the whistleblowing charity, in the case of Kong v Gulf International Bank (UK) Limited.
Employment > Employers Tier 6
Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP has a strong focus on the financial services and insurance industries and other regulated sectors, often advising on the intersection of the regulatory environment with employment law. Practice head Gareth Brahams is frequently engaged in defending tribunal litigation, particularly in claims involving employee competition and executive severances. Tom McLaughlin, Claire Dawson and Polly Rodway are further key names to note. Practice head(s):
Gareth Brahams
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘They have an impressive team of highly knowledgeable and committed lawyers.’
‘I have found working with BDBF to be a collaborative and enjoyable experience.’
‘Exceptional employment law boutique BDBF provides pragmatic and efficient advice that is always focused on a commercial solution.’
‘Tom McLaughlin and Gareth Brahams are my go to employment law gurus. I mostly work with Tom and having him as the consistent point of contact for all our employment law issues really helps to ensure a consistent approach from one mandate to the next.’
‘Very responsive, clear and easy to understand, always available to help/advise’
‘Tom McLaughlin – enormously pragmatic, commercial and responsive. Gareth Brahams – it really feels like there is nothing that phases him.’
‘Very knowledgeable and insightful.’
‘Responsiveness, quality of work, service’
Key clients
Apollo Private Wealth Management
Atheneum
Brompton Bicycle Company
CBH Wealth UK
DEBRA UK
Green Street Capital
HIG European Capital Partners
Millennium Capital Partners
Orluna
PIB Group
Veritas Technologies LLC
Work highlights
- Successfully acted for CBH Wealth in Borozna v CBH Wealth UK, an Employment Tribunal case involving whistleblowing issues.
Brahams Dutt Badrick French LLP > Firm Profile
The firm: BDBF is a leading specialist employment law firm based in the City of London. The firm has fought and won some of the highest value employment disputes of recent years against a range of ‘magic circle’ opponents. Its creative thinking has resulted in ground-breaking litigation outcomes in areas such as whistleblowing and discrimination law.
Recent victories have included the ground-breaking Court of Appeal case of Osipov v Timis in which this CEO successfully sued individual managers for being dismissed because he blew the whistle; banker, Bradley Jones’s win in the Employment Tribunal against JP Morgan which established that his dismissal for historic allegations of misconduct that had already been investigated at the time was unlawful and which was reported in Bloomberg; and PE professional, Jonathan Millet’s case in the Employment Appeal Tribunal against Queensgate Investments which established that claims for interim relief in whistleblowing cases must be heard in public. The entire team is reputed for its high quality legal advice.
Principal areas of work
Employment and partnership law: Senior employees and partners: Litigating on behalf of senior employees, board directors and partners in high stakes, complex and high value Employment Tribunal and High Court disputes, including relating to whistleblowing, discrimination, equal pay, contracts, bonuses, stress at work, sexual harassment, misrepresentation, restrictive covenants and team moves.
Advising senior employees, board directors and partners in exit negotiations from employers, partnerships and LLPs and negotiating terms on joining a new firm. Advising on the Senior Managers and Certification Regime (SMCR), including regulatory reference advice. Negotiating high value settlements in the context of discrimination, senior executive equal pay and whistleblowing disputes.
Employers: BDBF provides businesses with strategic and practical solutions for employment and partnership issues, including advice on HR matters; redundancy and restructuring, internal grievances, disciplinary and regulatory investigations, TUPE, contracts, and litigation in the Employment Tribunal and High Court including relating to breach of confidential information and restrictive covenant disputes. When defending litigation, the firm is rigorous in support of its clients.
Acting for both sides provides the firm’s lawyers with a unique tactical insight.
Clients: Most of BDBF’s individual clients work at a senior level, often in the regulated sector. They are CEOs and other C-suite executives in technology companies and industry, investment professionals in private equity and venture capital, heads of desks, directors, senior vice presidents, managing directors and above in financial and insurance services, partners or members of LLPs, accountants, senior lawyers, consultant doctors and other professionals working in healthcare, or senior managers, directors and.
BDBF does not act for bulge bracket investment banks or the major UK retail banks in order to ensure it remains conflict free and can act against them.
BDBF’s employer clients span a diverse range of sectors, including legal and professional service firms, boutique investment banks, hedge funds, private equity firms, insurance firms, other technology firms, retailers, utility companies, executive search firms, brokers and corporate financiers and charities. The firm also advises LLPs and general partnerships.
Main Contacts
| Department | Name | Telephone | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior and Managing Partner | Gareth Brahams | garethbrahams@bdbf.co.uk | |
| Partner - Employment | Polly Rodway | pollyrodway@bdbf.co.uk | |
| Partner - Employment | Nick Wilcox | nickwilcox@bdbf.co.uk | |
| Partner - Employment | Claire Dawson | clairedawson@bdbf.co.uk | |
| Partner - Employment | Paula Chan | paulachan@bdbf.co.uk | |
| Partner - Employment | Clare Brereton | clarebrereton@bdbf.co.uk |
Meet The Team(s)
Lawyer Profiles
| Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Gareth Brahams | Managing Partner | View Profile |
|
Clare Brereton | Partner | View Profile |
|
Paula Chan | Partner | View Profile |
|
Claire Dawson | Partner, Employment Lawyer Claire acts for senior executives, professionals, directors and LLP… | View Profile |
|
Tom McLaughlin | Managing Associate | View Profile |
|
Samantha Prosser | Managing Associate | View Profile |
|
Polly Rodway | Partner | View Profile |
|
Nick Wilcox | Partner | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of UK partners : 6 Number of other UK fee-earners : 14Languages
French Spanish GermanMemberships
Employment Law AssociationInterviews
Gareth Brahams, Managing Partner
1) What has been your greatest achievement, in a professional and personal capability?
My best professional achievement was achieving a win for Alex Osipov in the Court of Appeal where I came up with a novel point of law which delivered a £2m victory for the client and changed and improved the law on whistleblowing in the process. Personally, I am proud to be a father to five children who all support Arsenal!
2) What do you do differently from your peers in the industry?
My favourite quote about me was that “no one works harder to get a result for their client.” I am highly competitive and that plays out in my relentless focus on winning disputes.
3) What advice would you give to your younger self?
Other than cycle a bit slower which might have caused me to avoid a life-threatening accident, I don’t so much have advice as gratitude to that ambitious young man who took risks – including choosing to face a serious risk of unemployment rather than take a role in another area of law that he found less interesting at the firm where he qualified. Yes, I made plenty of mistakes, but I would not tell my younger self not to make them – how would I have learned from them?
4) Can you give me a practical example of how you helped a client add value to the business?
I think some businesses can let the law drive poor business decisions rather than make the right business decisions even if that means taking some legal risk. I just had a client suggest they should put a whole pool of people at risk of redundancy even though only two of them will actually lose their role. I have suggested a different course that will be much less unsettling for all concerned.
5) Within your sector, what do you think will be the biggest challenge for clients over the next 12 months?
The adoption of the “non-financial misconduct” rules will formalise in the financial sector what has already to some extent become the case for many employees in regulated sectors including lawyers, that even relatively minor allegations of sexual misconduct cannot just be job-ending but career ending.
Press Releases
BDBF’s Employment Law Tracker for 2023 and Beyond
26th October 2023 Our detailed employment law tracker highlights new domestic legislation and other key proposals for legislative reform.World Whistleblowers’ Day: recent developments in whistleblowing law in the UK
26th October 2023 To mark World Whistleblowers’ Day on 23 June 2023, we take stock of some of the most important recent developments in whistleblowing law in the UK and consider what they mean for whistleblowers.Women’s football: Equal pay for equal play?
26th October 2023 The recent Women’s World Cup hosted by Australia and New Zealand was the most successful edition yet. The audience for the ninth incarnation of the tournament totalled approximately 2 billion, with stadium crowds reaching 1.9 million fans – both are new records.Whistleblowing in the NHS
26th October 2023 This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, the legislation which incorporated protection for workers who report wrongdoing into the Employment Rights Act 1996.Should employers only deal with formal bullying complaints which cross a certain threshold?
26th October 2023 On 21 April 2023, Dominic Raab resigned as Justice Secretary and Deputy Prime Minister after an independent investigator found that he had bullied civil servants. In this article we consider the learning points for employers and how complaints of bullying should be managed.Non-compete restrictions in employment contracts to be limited to three months
26th October 2023 On 10 May 2023, the Government announced plans to reform the use of non-compete clauses in employment contracts. Legislation will be introduced which will limit such restrictions to three months. Other types of post-termination restrictions will not be affected.New Acas guidance on making reasonable adjustments for mental health conditions
26th October 2023 For the first time, Acas has published specific guidance on how reasonable adjustments can be used for staff with mental health conditions. The guidance considers how adjustments should be agreed and the role that managers have in managing employees once adjustments are in place. In this article we summarise the key points to note.Gareth Brahams recognised as one of the “best employment lawyers for senior executives” by Spear’s 2023
26th October 2023 BDBF Partner Gareth Brahams is listed as one of the best employment lawyers for senior executives in the Spear’s Magazine Employment Lawyers Index 2023.Employee unfairly dismissed for refusing to put work app on her personal phone
26th October 2023 An Employment Tribunal has ruled that a journalist was unfairly dismissed for refusing to install an “intrusive” work-related app on her personal phone, which would have left her unable to separate her work and home life. The employer should have considered alternatives such as providing her with a work phone or installing the app on her laptop.BDBF further expands its offering with senior hire
26th October 2023 Top-ranked, specialist employment law firm BDBF is delighted to announce the recent appointment of senior associate, Yulia Chizh.BDBF further expands its employment law practice with two new associates
26th October 2023 Top-ranked, specialist employment law firm BDBF is delighted to announce the recent appointments of Amy Hammond and Noelle van Wyk,BDBF announces promotion of Samantha Prosser to Managing Associate
26th October 2023 Congratulations! BDBF is pleased to announce the promotion of Samantha Prosser to Managing Associate, effective 1 June, 2023.- Employment > Senior executives
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