Alan Jones > Averta Employment Lawyers LLP > Birmingham, England > Lawyer Profile

Averta Employment Lawyers LLP
1, The Courtyard, 707 Warwick Road
Solihull
B91 3DA
England
Alan Jones photo

Work Department

Employment.

Position

Alan is a partner in Averta Employment Lawyers, having joined in January 2005. He was previously a partner at DLA Piper between 1983 and 2004 where he was a member of the Birmingham office management committee and head of the employment team in Birmingham. Clients for which he had responsibility operated in the financial services sector, retail, banking and recruitment. Work types included enforcement and/or drafting restrictive covenants, contractual disputes, dismissals and discrimination. For many years he undertook advocacy at various employment tribunals throughout the country on behalf of a variety of client companies. Setting up Averta Employment Lawyers with David Sykes in 2005, Alan has used the skills, expertise and reputation for the benefit of individual clients, such as directors, senior executives, managers and professionals from businesses of all shapes and sizes. In the last eight years he has acted for hundreds of clients dealing with a variety of issues such as discrimination, whistleblowing, share issues, bonus claims and severance payments. He has acted for PLC main board directors, including some from banks and financial institutions and for several ‘partners’ leaving private equity funds (which gives rise to interesting ‘carried interest’ issues). Clients consider him to be approachable and, importantly, other lawyers in commercial law firms consider him to be a capable, practical and commercial employment lawyer. Much of Averta’s work comes by way of referral from other lawyers. Alan is particularly sensitive to the public relations side of employment issues in that an individual’s reputation (both internally and in media terms) can be very important. This can be particularly relevant in public sector terminations but is a significant issue to many senior executives in large companies.

Career

Trained DLA Piper 1976; qualified 1978; assistant solicitor 1978-83; equity partner DLA Piper (Birmingham office) 1983-2004; partner Averta Employment Lawyers LLP 2005 to date.

Languages

Conversational French.

Memberships

Employment Law Committee of Birmingham Law Society; Employment Lawyer’s Association; Consultative Committee of the ELA dealing with various proposed changes to employment legislation (ACAS conciliation and settlement agreements in particular).

Education

Warwick School (1971); Bristol University (1975 Economics/Economic history); Chester College of Law (1975 and 1978).

Leisure

Recently retired rugby player, now committed to cycling, (road and off-road), together with skiing, windsurfing and any sporting activity involving an adrenalin rush. Also current affairs, family and cars.

Lawyer Rankings

West Midlands > Employment > Employment

(Hall of Fame)

Alan JonesAverta Employment Lawyers LLP

Exceptional partnersAlan Jones  and David Sykes, co-head the ‘highly skilled’ team at Averta Employment Lawyers LLP.  The ‘responsive and collaborative’ group focuses on the employment law needs of directors, managers, senior executives and other professionals. It thrives on negotiating exit packages, settlement agreements and discrimination claims. The group is active in the private and the public sectors and is also adept at advising on post-termination restrictions and TUPE transfers. Recently, it has seen an increase in corporate and SME work. Consultant, David Beswick, is another known name in the market. Izzy Canning is an able associate.