Slaughter and May is geared to support in a wide range of employment matters, including restructurings, transactions, and investigations. With clients in insurance, financial services, and energy, the firm also has a growing contentious employment practice, covering workplace disputes and High Court litigation. Philip Linnard leads the team, advising on a range of matters including corporate governance aspects of executive remuneration, investigations and terminations. Linnard also specialises in the employment aspects of M&A transactions. Philippa O’Malley is a key name for contentious employment matters, public M&As, and workplace culture.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Phil Linnard is very quick and straight to the point which makes him a very trusted partner to deal with in the context of international transactions. ’
‘Philippa O'Malley and Ian Brown in the share plans team have commercial skills and pragmatism alongside a deep technical understanding of global share plans and employment law. This combination of skills is important when it comes to implementing and interpreting rules and laws in the future.’
'Phil Linnard's pragmatic, approachable manner is fantastic, collaborative, and understanding of what we wish to achieve, provides clear, understandable advice, cutting through legalese. Deep experience of M&A and other matters, fantastic availability.'
‘The employment team doesn’t just understand employment law — they help shape it for employer clients. The team excels at giving advice that is laser-focused on their clients' business objectives and finding seamless solutions. The team harnesses internal and international expertise decisively and extremely quickly. By seamlessly factoring in any broader legal and commercial implications, the team helps clients avoid potential pitfalls. Their ability to quickly translate the most complex of legal principles into strategic business solutions, in a brilliantly incisive way with utmost clarity, also sets them apart. This team is crème de la crème for employer clients.’
'Phil's extraordinary ability to integrate employment law into clients’ broader corporate and business strategy makes him a true business partner, not just a legal adviser. Brilliant legal intellect meets razor-sharp clarity. He gets to the core of and solves the most complex of employment law matters at warp speed.'
'Philippa excels at solving the knottiest employment challenges, guiding clients through them with absolute precision, strategic focus and an exceptionally strong commercial acumen. She deciphers complexities with remarkable clarity and lightning-fast speed. With the brightest of legal minds, Philippa transforms complexity into clarity for clients.'
Key clients
- Aviva plc
- Bupa
- Centrica
- De La Rue plc
- GSK plc
- International Distribution Services PLC (Royal Mail)
- Prudential plc
- Tata Steel UK Limited
- Vodafone plc
- Whitbread plc
Work highlights
Advised a listed financial services firm on its successful defence of an application for interim injunctive relief from the former employer of a new executive hire, who was seeking unsuccessfully to enforce a non-compete restrictive covenant against the new hire.
Advising International Distribution Services PLC (IDS, parent company of Royal Mail) on the employment and incentives aspects of the £3.6bn takeover of Royal Mail by Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group.
Advising Reckitt Benckiser Group plc on a wide-ranging review of its business, which included a separation process affecting employees in multiple overseas jurisdictions.
Lawyers
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.
Practice head
Phil Linnard
Other key lawyers
Philippa O’Malley; Dave Rintoul; Simon Clark