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Expertise

Employment Law for Businesses

Business Law

Whatever kind of business you are, our Employment Law team can help you meet the challenges of increasingly complex and changing employment legislation.

Our team at Girlings has extensive experience across all areas of employment law. As part of the firm’s business law practice, we work closely with colleagues in the Commercial Law, Corporate, Banking & Finance and Commercial Property teams to give you and your business practical, well informed and timely advice.

Our specialist lawyers can provide you with a full range of HR advice and training, from day to day general advice through to assistance with terminations of senior executives and representation in Employment Tribunal, High Court and County Court proceedings. We can provide support through every stage of your employment law issues.

We understand that for any business its ideas, customers and employees are key to its continuing success. By ensuring your employment contracts and policies are fit for purpose and up-to-date we can help to protect your business from employment disputes and safeguard intellectual property, business relationships, customer connections and confidential information. Our team can support and advise on drafting and updating a range of employment related documents including contracts and policies and procedures to ensure your business is compliant with legislation and properly protected.

We advise on data protection law, including assisting you to ensure your contracts of employment, privacy notices and data protection processes and procedures are compliant with UK GDPR. We can also advise on business immigration matters and in particular on the employment of immigrant workers under the skilled worker visa scheme and applications to become a business sponsor.

Restructuring a business can be complex and time-consuming. Our employment law solicitors are experienced at providing practical advice which balances business objectives and employment law requirements in the context of downsizing and redundancy exercises including collective consultation exercises.

Not every employment relationship runs smoothly and the termination of an employee’s employment may be unavoidable from time to time. Whether dealing with disciplinary issues, poor performance or long term sickness, our solicitors can advise on the appropriate procedures and, if appropriate, severance negotiations.

We are experts in assisting employers to reduce risks arising from potential disputes and tackling performance management and long-term sickness absence issues, as well as other problematic workplace matters. We can assist with workplace investigations and can advise on the implementation of processes to minimise future risks to the business.

When it comes to business sales and purchases, we work closely with our Commercial Law, Corporate, Banking & Finance and Commercial Property teams to advise on the employment aspects of your transaction and to ensure commercial protection and legal compliance. Our team can advise on employee due diligence exercises, contracts and obligations under the Transfer or Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations – TUPE.

Our specialist lawyers add value to our employer clients through their extensive experience and expert knowledge, helping to anticipate potential issues and giving pre-emptive and pro-active advice.

The employment law team at Girlings is service orientated and highly responsive and aims to achieve efficient and effective resolutions to workplace issues by providing clear and practical advice.

To find out more about support for employees on individual issues, go to Employment Law for Individuals.

If you are looking for information on Employment tribunals - Fees & timescales, go to Employment Law for Individuals.

To find out more about how we can help your business in employment law related matters, contact a member of our Employment team.

We have offices in Ashford, Canterbury and Herne Bay


UK Leading firm 2025web

Our Employment Law team are ranked in the Legal 500.

Our Experts

Carl Vincent

Chairman, Head of Department
Employment Law

Paul McAleavey

Partner
Employment Law

David Morgan

Partner
Employment law

Dean Hawkins

Associate (FCILEx)
Employment Law

Jessie Cloughley

Trainee Solicitor
Employment Law

Related Pages

CARL VINCENT

Settlement Agreements

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Testimonials

I have worked with Paul in different situations. His detailed knowledge and attention to detail is outstanding. If he says he will deliver something on a certain day, he does it. Apart from his technical and professional competencies, he is very aware of how individuals may feel and the stresses they may be under. He makes you feel comfortable while remaining professional. Outstanding skills that he can combine. He is also highly regarded by some of the competitors that he has engaged with, and organisations that he has worked with, and gets strong recommendations from them. Over the 45 years that I’ve been working, Paul is within the top five lawyers I have worked with globally. May be a small firm, but that makes them special.
Legal 500 Testimonial 2025
This practice, in particular Paul McAleavey, offers outstanding, professional support and services to those that need to have employment, contracts, settlement agreements, and in particular they offer professional, pragmatic and empathetic service to those that are involved in contract disputes. What makes them unique is the experience that they have, their size in that they are able to give individual attention rather than just be a corporate office. They deliver on what they promise, and don’t exaggerate the capability. Outstanding service to companies and individuals.
Legal 500 Testimonial 2025
Efficient and timely advice given with practicality and sympathy. A good mix of objective advice and understanding of a difficult emotional experience.
Legal 500
I worked with Carl Vincent on a range of issues over several years and found him very personable. His knowledge of interconnected issues was excellent. He has also helped form our future employment policies and contracts.
Legal 500
Girlings operates as if it were a central London employment team while charging provincial rates. They are without doubt the best value employment practice in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, regularly appearing in cases with a phalanx of City lawyers against them whilst remaining wholly unperturbed.
Legal 500
We effectively outsource all of our legal HR function to this firm and they provide us with swift and appropriate advice on all employment matters that we face. We have found their support as we have managed our way through COVID invaluable.
Legal 500