I advise multi-national and UK employers on all aspects of UK and Irish employment law.
My clients are mainly from the technology, healthcare and the financial and professional services sectors. I helped establish our Dublin office in 2018 and work closely with colleagues in Dublin and Belfast to provide clients with employment law support across the whole of the UK and the island of Ireland. I have been recognised for many years as a leader in the field of employment law by the leading legal directories.
My practice is often international in its scope and I regularly advise on the employment law aspects of global acquisitions and multi-jurisdictional restructures, particularly across the EMEA region. I am also responsible for a number of international retainers which enable clients to access expert employment law advice in all of the countries in which they operate.
Examples of my recent work include:
- Successfully resolving High Court Injunction proceedings in London and Dublin brought against a leading software company and an international IT consultancy
- Advising a global networking company on the EMEA wide employment aspects of a number of important global acquisitions
- Advising a professional services company on a range of global employment law issues following a high profile merger
- Successfully resolving a sensitive Employment Tribunal claim for a financial services organisation
- Advising a provider of technology products on the termination of a senior employee of a recently acquired company
- Advising a digital platform on the employment law aspects of restructuring its EMEA operations
Awards and Recognition
- Chambers 2024 (Employment: Employer – London (Firms)) - "Sean is our trusted adviser who we regularly turn to for his commercial awareness and pragmatic advice." "Sean is very commercial and responsive, making us feel like a valued client. He plays a key role and is almost an extension of our internal team. We wouldn't be able to do the work we do without Sean."
- Chambers 2023 (Employment: Employer – London (Firms) "Sean is always looking ahead to see how he can help his clients and is always responsive too."
- Legal 500 2022 - The ‘very commercial, smart and personable’ tech expert Sean Dempsey
- Chambers 2022 (Employment) - 'He is very pleasant to deal with and takes a refreshingly conciliatory, rather than aggressive, approach to negotiating'
- Chambers 2022 (Employment) - 'He is very pragmatic, commercially oriented, experienced and a very reassuring adviser'
- Chambers 2021 (Employment: Employer) - "He is pragmatic, to-the-point, commercial and quick; he's great"
- Legal 500 2021 (Employers) - ‘Sean Dempsey brings a welcome dose of common sense – he gets to the nub of the issue quickly'
- Legal 500 2021 (Employers) - ‘Sean Dempsey is exceptional… He is able to see the wood for the trees & come up with clear advice even in the most complex scenarios’
- Who's Who Legal Global Leader - Labour & Employment (England) 2021
- Chambers 2020 - "very down to earth and commercial," and praise his ability to "give really pragmatic advice that gets to the issues."
- Legal 500 2020 - The team, which ‘always offers a high standard of work’, is jointly let by Sean Dempsey
- "He's very pragmatic, very responsive, understands our business, understands our risk appetite, very personable, and he's able to adapt his style to different scenarios." - Thomson Reuters’ Stand-out Lawyers, 2020
- Who’s Who Legal Thought Leader 2020
- WWL Thought Leader 2019: a leading name when it comes to the technology sector due to his "pragmatism, commerciality and responsiveness".
- "Straight-forward, pragmatism, ability to take something complex and make it simple, great responsiveness. A real client-first attitude to things." - Thomson Reuters’ Stand-out Lawyers, 2016