Joanna Blackburn > Mishcon de Reya LLP > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Known for advising on market sensitive appointments, exits, high-profile litigation and negotiating contracts and severance terms, Mishcon de Reya LLP represents prominent and high-profile business founders, senior executives, CEOs and board directors of PLCs, including FTSE 100 companies. The firm appears in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, specialisms being restrictive covenant issues, team moves and data theft cases. Practice head Daniel Naftalin acts for senior and high-net-worth individuals in complex disputes and remuneration arrangements, either on arrival or departure. Key names from the deep bench of expertise are Susannah Kintish, who assists in contentious and non-contentious employment matters; the ‘extremely impressive’ Sharon Tan; Jennifer Millins, who specialises in complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims, High Court injunctions, equal pay disputes, gender pay gap reporting and LLP disputes; and Joanna Blackburn, who is ‘the person one definitely wants on one’s side if engaging with the big battalions‘. Managing associate Matthew Wood is also recommended.

A go-to for global brands through to mid-size UK companies in the financial and professional services, media and entertainment, sport and fashion, Mishcon de Reya LLP‘s practice is highly regarded for its breadth of expertise in employment law, particularly its knowledge of diversity and gender pay, the implications of the gig economy and the interplay between data, transparency and privacy. Daniel Naftalin‘s practice spans both advisory and litigious work. Sharon Tan and Joanna Blackburn often support blue-chip clients in senior exits, discrimination claims, international employment support and workforce restructuring. For Tribunal work, Sarah Keeble, Susannah Kintish and Emily Knight, are recommended.

Mishcon de Reya LLP  is considered ‘a formidable firm‘ that combines strong dispute resolution/litigation skills with in-depth expertise in partnership and workplace disputes. It has acted on many of the landmark cases for both partnerships and individuals, particularly in the financial and accountancy sectors. It also offers clients a range of tech tools such as the litigation support hub and transaction support hub.  ‘Strategic mastermind’ Daniel Naftalin heads up the employments team which includes partnership experts such as Joanna Blackburn , who has established precedents in a number of ground-breaking Supreme Court cases using her expertise in the LLP and partnerships field. ‘Superstar’ Jennifer Millins  has specialist knowledge of complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims and has vast experience representing both LLPs and partners in Employment Tribunals and Appeal Courts. Greg Campbell  utilises his 20 years’ experience in employment law when advising senior executives on major disciplinary investigations or regulators such as the FCA.