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Pride in the paths to parenthood
Connie Atkinson
“I think Kirsty is fabulous!! She is knowledgeable, friendly, practical and attentive. I really enjoy working with her and am confident in her advice.”
Counsel
Kirsty is a Legal Director in the Employment Department. She advises both employers and senior employees on all aspects of employment law and employee relations issues, including contentious and non-contentious matters.
Kirsty advises employers of all sizes, including regulatory bodies, multi-national businesses and SMEs. She advises on a wide variety of employment issues, including performance management, disciplinary and grievance procedures, bonuses, restrictive covenants and settlement agreements. Kirsty has a special interest in redundancy and restructure situations, business transfers and outsourcings, as well as data protection issues.
She also regularly represents senior employees in relation to redundancy, disciplinary, grievance, discrimination, whistleblowing and sexual misconduct in the workplace issues. Kirsty often advises senior employees with a view to mitigating the effects of potentially career altering allegations and repercussions, particularly in the financial services or other regulated sectors. Kirsty works closely with colleagues in the Regulatory Department on such issues. She also represents senior individuals in the technology, media and fashion industries, as well as the public sector.
Kirsty regularly gives talks on employment and data protection matters at client seminars and also provides bespoke in-house training sessions for clients.
Recent cases
- Advising a senior executive in a financial institution throughout his disciplinary and appeal process, with particular regard to his status as an approved person.
- Advising a technology company through a performance improvement process, and avoiding the expected unfair dismissal and disability discrimination claim from the employee.
- Advising an employer on several concurrent subject access requests.
- Advising a UK subsidiary of a US business in relation to general employment issues, including recruitment and restructuring issues, and drafting contracts of employment and a UK specific Handbook.
PUBLICATIONS & PRESS HIGHLIGHTS
- HR’s frustrations mount over Labour’s workers’ rights reforms, Quoted in Raconteur, September 2024
- Will new legal changes spell the end for NDAs? People Management, April 2024
- NDAs: what employers and workers need to know about the latest developments, People Management, October 2023
- Government cracks down on sexual harassment in the workplace, HR Magazine, July 2021
- The next ethical dilemma: do we pay back furlough? Personnel Today, July 2020
- Misconduct in the (cyber) workplace, People Management, April 2020
- Cyber bullying in the workplace during remote working, HR Magazine, April 2020
- Will maternity leave be affected by coronavirus? Quoted in GoodtoKnow, March 2020
- Dealing with sexual allegations in the workplace, HR magazine, July 2018
Professional societies and memberships
- Employment Lawyers Association
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Discrimination Law Association (DLA)
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Industrial Law Society (ILS)