Employment

Clients instruct Fountain Court members for employment work in high-profile and challenging cases, requiring an in-depth understanding of business practices as well as the relevant laws and regulations.

Members who specialise in this area often act on behalf of large public, business and corporate clients but also managerial, senior executive and director-level individuals.

Our advocates appear in all relevant forums, including the Employment Tribunal, the Employment Appeal Tribunal and the High Court. We also have extensive experience in the appellate courts including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.

Instruction in High Court matters often involve strike action, industrial relations, restrictive covenants, fiduciary duties and confidentiality injunctions. We have the flexibility and experience to work quickly and often at short notice, including in bringing and defending ‘springboard injunctions’. Our work includes obtaining injunctions to prevent strikes, and in extensively publicised disputes involving businesses spanning the transport, media, retail and public sectors.

Our employment work goes beyond contentious matters and our members regularly provide advisory services such as on individual employment contracts involving large classes of employees and collective labour law, employment tax and the National Minimum Wage.

We have dealt with many business reorganisations, including those involving TUPE and large-scale redundancies. We are also skilled at obtaining injunctions to enforce post-termination contractual restrictions and confidentiality obligations.

Fountain Court is also regularly instructed to give advice and act in claims concerning statutory rights and particularly proceedings for public interest disclosure (including whistle-blowing-related matters), unfair dismissal and discrimination. Members regularly advise on confidential and sensitive matters including those involving allegations of inappropriate conduct, harassment and victimisation.

Our work includes cases relating to:

• Contract disputes
• Industrial action
• Restrictive covenants
• Team moves
• Whistle-blowing
• Discrimination and victimisation
• Workplace harassment
• Unfair dismissal
• Tax and benefits
• Regulatory disputes