Paul Quain > GQ | LITTLER > London, England > Lawyer Profile

Paul Quain

020 3375 0334 paul.quain@gqlittler.com View profile View profile View profile

Work Department

GQ|Littler is the leading employment law firm for employers in the UK and Ireland. We offer risk-based advice and litigation services on employment, immigration, employee tax and incentives issues. We work globally as part of Littler, the world’s largest employment law firm with over 1,600 lawyers in 100 offices worldwide. Being part of Littler enables the firm to seamlessly provide high-quality advice and support across a wide range of international markets and benefit from cutting-edge technology, research and knowledge management resources.

Position

Paul is a senior parnter of GQ|Littler and is well known in the employment law world. He advises on issues relating to restrictive covenants and misuse of confidential information, senior board level terminations, commercial agency disputes, complex transactions and outsourcing arrangements and large scale business restructures. He has particular expertise in high-value litigation (both High Court and employment tribunal) and cases requiring complex strategy for which he has a strong reputation as an excellent tactician.

He has recently acted in a dispute concerning the theft of highly confidential information, the employment aspects of setting up a tier one bank, discretionary bonuses, team moves, High Court injunctions, discrimination and TUPE. Paul has worked on some reported high-profile employment law cases including: obtaining an injunction for a venture capital business against an employee who had taken confidential information and securing the return of the information; defending a bank against a multi-million pound discrimination and victimisation claim and defending a large investment bank against a TUPE claim brought by fifty individuals.

Paul’s earlier experience includes cases which are household names in the employment law world including Keen v Commerzbank (a seminal Court of Appeal on discretionary bonuses), Stransky v Bristol Rugby Club and Rutherford v the DTI. Paul regularly hosts seminars and webinars and provides training on all aspects of employment law and was for many years a member of the Employment Lawyers Association management committee.

Career

Prior to setting up GQ|Littler with Jon Gilligan, Paul was a barrister (Old Square Chambers and 3 Temple Gardens); a solicitor at Charles Russell LLP and managing associate at Linklaters LLP.

Paul is also a fully trained and CEDR accredited mediator and an expert in dispute resolution in the employment field.

Publications of note: Paul is frequently quoted in the press and interviewed on radio and TV (including Radio 4’s ‘The Today Programme’, ‘The World at One’ and BBC News) on complex and controversial employment law issues (https://www.gqlittler.com/about-us/the-team/paul-quain).

Languages

English.

Memberships

Paul is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association (ELA) and delivers training for other ELA members. He was previously on the ELA Management Committee for over five years and was chair of the ELA Pro Bono Committee for seven years.

Education

1996 – 1997: Inns of Court School of Law, Bar Vocational Course

1995 – 1996: Bournemouth University, CPE in Law (Commendation)

1984 – 1988: University of Hull, BA Joint Honours in French and Music

Leisure

When Paul has time he sings in a London choir, plays the piano, and enjoys playing chess, bridge and poker.