Paul McAleavey

Paul is a Partner at the firm and his practice includes advising companies, senior executives, professional footballers and LLPs on a wide range of employment and HR issues. He has a decade of experience at top-ranked London law firms, including in the City of London.

Paul joined Girlings in 2017 from Tier-1 ranked City of London employment practice BDBF LLP, having trained at leading Westminster firm Bircham Dyson Bell LLP, qualifying as a Solicitor in 2008. Paul is a Legal 500 Recommended Lawyer.

Paul regularly acts in cases in the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and the High Court. He has recently acted for a Nasdaq-listed company defending substantial bonus claims in the High Court and Employment Tribunal running into millions of pounds, as well as defending organisations facing complex whistleblowing and discrimination claims. He acts for professional footballers on transfer deals, primarily in the Premier League, and recently advised on a player transfer between two Champions League clubs.

He successfully obtained a restricted reporting order from the Employment Appeal Tribunal for an individual and is regularly involved in matters involving injunctive relief.

Paul has extensive experience in advising on senior executive terminations, both for employers and senior executives. He assists his clients with resolving workplace matters so they can focus on running their businesses or building their professional careers. Paul has also extensive experience in advising in the rapidly developing area of transgender law.

Examples of matters that Paul has worked on include:

Acting for a household-name employer in the successful resolution of an employment tribunal claim for discrimination and harassment.
Advising a technology platform and its associated mobile app on the employment law aspects of running an employment business.
Successfully resolving an Employment Tribunal claim brought against a senior executive on territorial jurisdictional grounds.
Advising a leading London medical clinic on the termination of employment of a senior manager following a high profile and sensitive dispute.
Advising a large car dealership on the TUPE aspects of its corporate transaction.
Successfully clearing the name of a lawyer in a national law firm accused of potentially career-ending misconduct.
Helping an executive avoid court proceedings threatened by a former employer and establish a new business.

The Legal 500 guide to the legal profession highlights Paul as providing “innovative practical solutions to complicated situations. He was accessible and exceeded our expectations. We benefitted from the impact that can be achieved by a knowledgeable and professional solicitor. He was an integral and valued member of our team which led to our success” and commended Paul for having “notable experience of advising on the rights of transgender employees in the workplace”.

Paul is also the firm’s Training Principal, and is passionate about supporting the Firm’s trainees through their qualification journeys.

Outside of work, Paul is kept busy by his young family, and is a supporter of Tottenham Hotspur FC.

He holds a degree in law from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Notable cases:

Mojela v Canmart Ltd & Anor [2023] EWHC 2668 (Ch)

Memberships and professional bodies:

Employment Law for Businesses Employment Law for Individuals