Merrill April > CM Murray LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

CM Murray LLP
36-38 CORNHILL
LONDON
EC3V 3NG
England

Work Department

Employment and Partnership Law

Position

Partner

Career

Merrill April is a Partner specialising in employment and partnership law.

Merrill has developed an international employment law practice which covers both contentious and non-contentious matters and has an excellent reputation for advising both senior executives and employers across a diverse client base, spanning key sectors such as financial services and technology, and including both listed and private companies.

Merrill advises UK PLCs on hires and departures at board level, and on contractual and other issues that arise throughout the employment relationship, including in relation to whistleblowing and data protection. Merrill has worked with a number of established private and growth companies to set up their employment and HR structures to support their businesses, working closely with HR consultants and in-house HR teams, finance directors and general counsel to achieve this objective. Merrill is experienced in conducting workplace investigations and in advising investigators, supporting them on common issues that arise including as regards the terms of reference, privilege and data protection matters.

Merrill’s litigator background underpins her knowledge and strategic approach in negotiations and allows her to represent clients in the High Court and in tribunal cases, including advising both employers and senior executives on contentious workplace disputes, high value severance negotiations and managing exits smoothly, and in complex partnership disputes. She has significant experience advising on partner discrimination claims, including for disability, sexual orientation discrimination and age discrimination in the context of retirement. She regularly advises partners on moves between professional accountancy and hedge fund businesses, including the enforcement of garden leave and restrictive covenants.

Merrill is the firm’s lead Partner for international employment law alliance, Innangard.

Merrill was admitted as a solicitor in England and Wales in September 1987.

Lawyer Rankings

London > Employment > Senior executives

Known as an ‘exceptional firmCM Murray LLP offers specialist advice on multijurisdictional exit negotiation, as well as counselling on settlement packages and restrictive covenant cases. Founder and managing partner Clare Murray co-heads the team with Merrill April, who is praised for her ‘razor-sharp common sense’ when handling corporate reshuffling and reviewing payout values. The firm also handles a broad range of cases including whistleblowing, gross misconduct and bullying claims. Other key team members include David Fisher and Emma Bartlett, who work on cases regarding constructive dismissal and disability discrimination claims. Sarah Chilton typically handles pregnancy harassment and contentious departure cases.

London > Employment > Employers

Specialist boutique CM Murray LLP is recommended for reputation-sensitive senior level investigations and strategic redundancy planning, as well as ensuing employment litigation. The team is led by firm founder Clare Murray, with David Fisher, Beth Hale and Merrill April further key names in an extensive team of partners. Partnership law expert Corinne Staves, who joined the firm in August 2022, is also integral, as is associate Yulia Fedorenko, who regularly advises on cross-border employment matters.