Hill Dickinson LLP

Employment

Partner

July 2004- October 2004 and July 2005- October 2005 - Government Legal Service, Leeds- Employment Paralegal- invited back after a 1-week work experience in 2003

Sept 2007- Sept 2009- Watson Burton( now part of Weightmans), Trainee- Employment and Real Estate (6 months each) & Corporate (1year)

September 2009- October 2024- Irwin Mitchell LLP (made Partner in May 2022 and Head of Leeds Commercial Employment in January 2024)

October 2024- present- Hill Dickinson LLP

Previously board member and trustee at Leeds Beckett University Student Union- 30 October 2018 to 30 June 2022

Previously appointed as Legal Counsel of Choice for the Institute of Recruiters and acted as mentor for College of Law Students and provided pro bono advice via Citizens Advice Bureau

Padma advises on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious Employment Law. The majority of her client portfolio consists of businesses (of varying sizes) and senior executives (negotiating their hires and exits). In particular, she enjoys advising businesses on their people strategies, delivering training and supporting with the employment issues arising out of mergers and acquisitions.

From a business immigration perspective, Padma advises on UKVI checks, record maintenance and penalties and immigration related employment issues.

Padma is passionate about sharing the benefit of her knowledge and experience so acts as a mentor for aspiring solicitors, whether they are just starting out or looking to progress further in their career.

Her proudest career moment was from several years ago where she successfully defended a number of “worker and employee status” claims (including appeals to higher courts) for a large outsourcing PLC, which if lost, would have cost the client millions of pounds, if not billions, when backdated pension liabilities and penalties were added. The decision affected nearly 3,500 contractors. This was defended in the days before the Uber, Deliveroo came to the forefront of media attention and the factors to which a Tribunal will give weight were more explicitly laid out.

Padma’s involvement in this case, has then led to her  being invited to speak at conferences and other third-party events as thought leader and winning further work in this area (including being recommended by other law firms to provide this advice to their clients).

English, Telegu (conversational), German (basic), French (basic)

Employment Lawyers Associate and Law Society

1996- 2003- Woodhouse Grove School (10 GCSES- 8 A*/A and 2 Bs), 1 AS level in History (c) and 3 A Levels (3 As French, German and Chemistry)

2003-2006 University of Durham- 2:1 LLB Hons (Dunelm)

2006-2007- College of Law (York)- Distinction and awarded Herb Smith/ Rodger Leyland award for overall marks

Born in Preston, Padma moved to Leeds at the age of 12; she is a third generation British Indian. She has then lived in Leeds for most of her life other than moving away temporarily to go to the University of Durham and College of Law, York.

Outside of work, Padma is mum to a 2-year old girl, Maya. She loves to cook, dine out and travel, to experience different cultures and cuisines. She also enjoys going to the gym – although she does not have enough self -discipline to exercise alone and so tries to go to classes to push herself!

If Padma was not a lawyer, her dream job would be to work in a patisserie – although she claims not to very good at baking, she finds the whole process of baking and decorating cakes and seeing a creation come together, very therapeutic.