Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP advises a broad range of national and international employers on complex employment matters, from industrial action and whistleblowing issues to TUPE, pay mandates and board-level disputes. The Leeds team is led by Paul Cotton, known for his work on workforce restructures, international projects, and European Works Councils. Simon Rice-Birchall is a senior figure in national minimum wage and discrimination litigation, while Christopher Mordue and Ben Wood lead the firm’s education work, acting for universities and academy trusts across the UK. Louise Lightfoot supports clients on UK and cross-border transactions, bringing experience in reorganisation, pay strategy and strategic risk advice.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Eversheds are an excellent firm for employment work. We use them primarily for advisory work currently and they are a go-to because of their expertise and sector knowledge, particularly in some of the most difficult and pressing areas for us such as free speech issues.’
‘Chris Mordue is wise, down-to earth and a good communicator in meetings and on paper. He builds trust with his deep knowledge of the higher education sector.'
'Louise Lightfoot is incredibly knowledgeable and has a very reassuring manner, instilling confidence into the client. Louise makes it her business to gain a deep understanding of our culture and values and her advice is always framed within this context. '
‘Strength and depth of expertise in the employment and education overlap.’
‘Chris Mordue (Partner) - incredibly responsive and always clear and pragmatic in delivering advice even in the most complex of legal areas.’
‘For particularly difficult or technical questions, I always call Chris Mordue, whose knowledge of and expertise in employment law (particularly within HE) is second to none. I always feel reassured after consulting with Chris, whether I like the answer or not.’
'Louise Lightfoot has consistently given us clear, pragmatic advice. She takes the time to understand our background and our priorities and bases her advice on what would work best for our context. Overall, she is great to work with.'
'Chris Mordue is the best Employment Lawyer I have worked with. Pragmatic, expert, hugely experienced, responsive to urgent matters, options based advice – with risk assessed.'
'Louise Lightfoot is always available or ensures my query is directed to the right person.'
'The firm has the ability to advise on a wide range of issues, reaching out to colleagues in other jurisdictions to support queries from a multi-national client.'
Key clients
- DHL
- Parker Hannifin
- Rockwell Automation
- Watts Water
- Marmon Group
- Network Rail
- McCain Foods
- Avery Dennison
- University of Leicester
- Wm Morrison Supermarkets Limited
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Christopher Mordue
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Practice head
Paul Cotton
Other key lawyers
Simon Rice-Birchall; Christopher Mordue; Ben Wood; Louise Lightfoot