Martin Pratt

Martin qualified as a solicitor in September 2000 and joined Kingsley Napley’s Employment team in 2008 from DLA Piper where he was an associate. Previously, he graduated from Oxford University in 1996, following which he attended the College of Law and then Leicester University, where he took a Masters Degree in Law and Employment Relations. 

Martin advises employers and executives nationally and internationally on a wide range of employment issues.

Martin has particular experience in

• handling all forms of employment litigation and dispute resolution including in the Employment Tribunals and High Court for breach of contract, unfair dismissal, detriments arising from whistleblowing and discrimination;
• advising on the employment law aspects of business transfers;
• advising employers on change management, including redundancies and outsourcing in insolvency situations;
• advising on the enforcement of restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations
• Team moves
• Incentive and bonus issues

Martin is also an experienced trainer, providing in-house seminars to employers on diversity & equality, performance management, discipline and other labour law topics. 

Recent experience

• Advising an international architectural practice on a major restructuring including a sensitive and complex collective redundancy consultation
• Successfully representing two financial professionals in a high-value whistleblowing claim against a major City institution
• Advising an overseas software developer on enforcement of its contractual intellectual property, restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations against employees 
• Assisting a well-known musical instrument manufacturer in establishing its UK presence
• Defending a major insurer against vexatious discrimination claims
• Advising on team moves, boardroom disputes, director liabilities, bonus and incentive issues.

Professional societies and associations

• The Law Society
• Employment Lawyers Association (ELA)
• The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)

Other information

Martin’s interests include theatre, history, walking his dogs and his ferrets, listening to his rapidly aging record collection and skiing.  He speaks some French and is learning Spanish.

Publications and press comments

• Vicarious Employer Liability: Did Sainsbury’s failure to deal with a grievance lead to murder?, HR Magazine, May 2012
• "Could Sainsbury's be liable for employees murder?", Retail Gazette, May 2012
• "Costa Concordia: Rushing To Blame An Employee Without Knowing The Facts?", HR Magazine, January 2012
• "Lessons and dangers from Clark Brodie saga", Public Service, November 2011
• "45 and want a home loan? Computer says no" (quoted), The Sunday Telegraph, October 2011
• "Can the banks avoid paying bonuses?", People Management, February 2009
• "’Without prejudice’ discussions must be just that", The Times Online, October 2011
• "Plan for ‘protected conversations’ over performance and retirement" (quoted), Personnel Management, October 2011