Richard Fox

Richard Fox is Head of Kingsley Napley's Employment Department. He graduated from Manchester University in 1983, qualified with the firm in 1986 and became a partner four years later in 1990.  Richard is known for his straightforward commercial advice and vast knowledge and experience of employment matters, particularly those that involve litigation or the prospect of litigation through the Employment Tribunals and Courts.

Richard acts for corporates, organisations and high profile individuals in relation to the full range of employment matters and specifically focuses on confidentiality and restrictive covenants including related litigation, executive pay, bonuses and severance arrangements, unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing, corporate restructuring, business reorganization and redundancy.

Richard is currently Deputy Chair of the Employment Lawyers Association and was previously Chair of ELA's Legislative and Policy Sub-Committee, which is the committee responsible for responding to the Government on all consultation papers relating to proposed new legislation on employment matters.  Formerly, Richard was President of the London Solicitors' Litigation Association (2000 to 2002). 

Richard has a particular interest in Age Discrimination, and has for many years been a member of the Employers' Forum on Age, the leading employers' organisation co-ordinating responses to, and raising employers' awareness of, the legislation against Age Discrimination.

He also has a particular interest in advising US corporates and LLP's operating in the UK and is a founder member of the firmwide US focus group.

Richard has published many articles and has lectured on employment and litigation topics of all kinds including Employment Tribunal Reform and Dispute Resolution procedure, Flexibility at Work, Race Discrimination, Parental Leave, Search Orders, E-mail Policies, Blogging and Conditional/Contingency Fees. He has been appointed by the High Court on a number of occasions for the purposes of supervising the execution of search orders (and thereafter to report to the High Court).

Richard is married with three children, and enjoys politics, music, cars and watching football at the Emirates Stadium.

What others have said

• "commercially minded and switched-on" (Chambers UK, 2012).
• "possesses wide-ranging employment expertise, although he has a particular talent for dealing with employment fraud issues" (Chambers UK, 2012).
• "gave far more than was required to assisting [us] and we really appreciated your understanding of our position" (client)
• "He seems to know everything" (Chambers UK, 2011)
• "is lauded for his "commitment and speedy, commercial solutions." (Chambers UK, 2011)

Professional Societies

• London Solicitors Litigation Association
• Employment Lawyers Association (Deputy Chair)
• The Law Society
• City of London Solicitors Company
• Industrial Law Society

Further Information

• Deputy Chair of the Employment Lawyers Association
• Former Chair of the Legislative and Policy Sub-Committee of the Employment Lawyers Association and Chair of many working groups on issues such as Employment Tribunal monitoring, the new ACAS Code of Practice on Dispute Resolution Procedures, Age Discrimination and Illegal Working
• Former President of the London Solicitors Litigation Association (2000 to 2002)
• Articles published, and has lectured on employment and litigation topics of all kinds including Employment Tribunal Reform and the law on dispute resolution, Anton Pillar/Search Orders, conditional/contingency fees, Race Discrimination, Blogging and Parental Leave.

Publications and Media Appearances

Richard has been quoted extensively in the national and employment press over many years, particularly in relation to dispute resolution reform (particularly in relation to the rule of the Employment Tribunals), Search Orders (previously known as Anton Piller Orders), Age Discrimination, and the role of ACAS.

Some of the numerous articles published in legal and human resources journals, and the National Press, are set out below: 

• 'HR Talk: Age discrimination', People Management, May 2012
• 'Supreme Court rules compulsory retirement may be justified in UK', various publications, April 2012
• 'Employment Law changes 2012', BBC (news and radio), April 2012
• "Legislation should not be blamed for restricting growth", Personnel Today, November 2011
• "Boutiques step in where mid-tier fears to tread" (quoted), The Lawyer, October 2011
• "Accountability: Lessons from the Sharon Shoesmith case", Personnel Today, July 2011
• "Tackling dishonesty amongst partners", Law Society Gazette, June 2011
• Interviewed on BBC News, BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC1's Breakfast Programme about Sharon Shoesmith winning her sacking appeal, May 2011
• "Work it Out", commenting on the government's plans to cut red tape in employment tribunals, Solicitors' Journal, May 2011
• "Resolving Workplace Disputes: ELA Responds", reporting on ELA's detailed response to the government's consultation paper on resolving workplace disputes, ELA Briefing, May 2011
• Interviewed on the BBC by Clive Coleman, Legal Affairs analyst for the BBC about the government's decision to abolish the Default Retirement Age, April 2011
• New laws will 'damage job creation', warn business chiefs, Daily Telegraph, April 2011
• Richard Fox comments again on the ECJ ruling regarding preferential insurance premiums for women, The Lawyer, March 2011
• Interviewed in the Times commenting on legal regulations on behalf of the ELA, February 2011
• Interviewed on ITV’s News at Ten discussing age discrimination in light of the case brought by Miriam O’Reilly against the BBC in relation to the programme Countryfile, January 2011