Laura McMaster > Cripps > West Sussex, England > Lawyer Profile

Cripps Offices

Cripps
Premier House
36-48 Queen Street
Horsham
RH13 5AD
England
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Laura McMaster

Laura McMaster photo
+44 (0)1403 831239 Laura.McMaster@cripps.co.uk View profile

Work Department

Employment

Position

Senior Associate

Career

Laura is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and acts for employers and individuals across a wide range of employment matters from drafting employment contracts and advising on settlement agreements to considering sensitive disciplinary and performance matters and acting in Employment Tribunal claims.  She joined our Employment Team in February 2018, having started her career as a litigator.

Laura is a natural communicator and was driven to employment law by her love of people and the varied, interesting work it provides.  A meticulous organiser and planner, with a great eye for detail, Laura works to ensure her clients understand their options and proceed in a way that’s right for them.

Laura acts for claimants and respondents in employment litigation and her dispute resolution experience includes early conciliation and judicial mediation.  Laura provides employment support on corporate matters and advises on non-contentious matters for the entire employment life cycle (including post-employment), such as: employment and service contracts; staff handbooks and policies; all types of leave and pay; disability and discrimination; grievances, disciplinaries and performance; restructures, redundancies and TUPE; and termination of employment.

Laura is responsible for the Department’s Twitter feed and is involved with its regular legal updates and breakfast seminars.

Laura is involved in a number of forums at PDT including as a Qualified Mental Health First Aider, facilitator of our mentoring programme and a core member of our equality and diversity group.

Key Work Highlights

  • Acted for a client entering into a settlement agreement worth c.£500,000 (with multiple jurisdiction considerations).
  • Negotiated and implemented the exit of an individual who was an employee, statutory director and shareholder from our client’s business.
  • Provided employment support on a corporate transaction worth £50m.
  • Successfully defended an unlawful deduction from wages claim which reached final hearing.
  • Advised our Insolvency Practitioner client regarding the successful resolution of a group claimant action during an insolvency process.
  • Advised on all employment aspects of a service framework agreement between our client and a major financial institution.
  • Settled an unfair dismissal claim for our employer client at an early stage, before costs were incurred defending the claim.

Memberships

Employment Lawyers Association

Lawyer Rankings

South East > Employment > Employment: Kent, Surrey, Sussex

(Rising stars)

Laura McMaster – Cripps

The team at Cripps in Tunbridge Wells adopts an ‘incredibly pragmatic and commercially focused’ approach when advising high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and business owners in cross-border advisory and litigation work, including providing general employment advice, acquisition-related employment advice, changes in contracts, holiday pay issues and TUPE matters. ‘Exceptional’ and ‘fantastic’ practice head Camilla Beamish provides ‘commercially focused, pragmatic and trusted advice’ and is particularly focused on disputes between shareholders and directors and the enforcement of restricted covenants. Melanie Stancliffe has experience in advising clients in the financial services, retail, healthcare, legal and technology industries. Rhona Darbyshire and Patrick Glencross, who is now at Furley Page Solicitors, departed from the firm in September 2022 and October 2022 respectively. In early 2024, the firm merged with Horsham-based firm PDT Solicitors, which added the expertise of Laura McMaster to the practice.

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