Weightmans LLP

EPI HR Rely

Chris Hayes is a Partner in the HR Rely team based in Liverpool. He specialises in supporting SMEs and Owner Manages Businesses with day-to-day HR and employment law advice.

Chris is an employment law specialist focused on advising SME and owner-managed businesses on day-to-day workplace issues and strategic people decisions. His practice is built around delivering commercially grounded advice that aligns with each organisation’s operational goals while clearly setting out legal risk and available options. He is known for adopting a strongly commercial and pragmatic approach, ensuring that business objectives are met wherever reasonably possible, with risk levels carefully assessed and explained at each stage.

He takes a solutions-focused and prevention led approach to employment law. His priority is early intervention by identifying and addressing workplace issues before they escalate into formal disputes or Employment Tribunal litigation. This reduces cost, management time, and reputational exposure for clients. Where claims do arise, he provides full tribunal defence support, offering continuity of service from initial advisory stages through to formal proceedings and resolution. This is often comforting for clients to ensure that the finer details of each matter are not lost in translation.

His experience includes complex disciplinary and grievance matters, senior exits, executive terminations, and negotiated settlements, including cases involving directors and shareholdings. He regularly advises at board level on restructuring exercises, growth strategy, and sensitive workforce change, translating legal exposure into practical commercial choices.

Chris is widely regarded by clients as calm, methodical, and measured, particularly when handling emotionally charged employee relations issues. He is collaborative in style, working closely with business leaders and HR professionals to understand each organisation’s structure, culture, and risk appetite before tailoring advice.

In addition to advisory and dispute work, Chris delivers in-person training for businesses, HR teams, and board-level stakeholders. His training covers core HR and employment law topics as well as current legal developments and regulatory updates, delivered in a practical, hands-on format designed for real-world application and decision-making.

He is also a strong advocate of legal technology and modern service delivery. He actively promotes the use of artificial intelligence and document automation to improve efficiency, consistency, and client experience, ensuring legal support is delivered in a contemporary and accessible format.