We are very well positioned to assist employers in the financial services sector meet the difficult challenges they face, including issues surrounding pay and bonuses and high value discrimination claims. Issues which often dominate the headlines.
We have a wealth of experience advising organisations of all types, from investment banks to hedge funds, stock exchanges to brokers, financial news and information services to small UK branch offices of overseas banks.
We offer a highly specialised and coordinated service covering employment litigation, day to day employment advice, incentives and employee tax and business immigration services. Some recent highlights include:
High value litigation
- defending a multi-million pound claim against a hedge fund for misrepresentation, unjust enrichment and breach of contract
- defending a high value claim for lost bonus and loss of deferred compensation against an investment bank
Employment
- operating a co-ordinated EMEA helpdesk facility in 16 countries for a global investment bank
- advising on numerous collective redundancy processes and restructuring exercises
- successfully mediating a high value bonus and whistleblowing dispute
Incentives and employee tax
- advising on and implementing employee benefit trust arrangements to achieve bonus deferral linked to performance and tax deferrals
- devising and implementing incentive arrangements using real equity as a tax-efficient alternative to cash-based incentives
Covenants and competition
- pursuing injunction proceedings to block employees joining competitors in breach of post-termination restrictions in their contracts
- defending injunction applications for employers who have taken on employees from a competitor
- advising on restrictive covenant and TUPE implications of hiring teams from collapsed financial institutions
Business Immigration
- assisting UK institutions with all aspects of the Sponsorship Registration process
- assuming Level1 responsibility on behalf of clients
- working with clients to devise, develop and implement compliance focused processes to establish statutory defences to immigration breaches
- project managing international workforce mobility through Ius Laboris network