Pam was admitted as a solicitor in 2003, and is a highly regarded employment solicitor, providing a progressive, commercial and holistic approach that is tailored to the client’s needs and desired outcomes. Pam has worked in both private practice – assisting SMEs, large employers and individuals – and as a senior in-house lawyer for two large public bodies over the last 17+ years.
Pam’s roles have given her insight into balancing commercial, strategic and political priorities, as well as significant experience in resolving emerging and complex issues within industrial relations matters, organisational change and design management, TUPE (service provision change; insourcing, outsourcing and due diligence during procurement processes), and leading negotiations during complex settlement agreements and exit discussions for senior leaders.
Pam is also an experienced litigator, supporting clients through what can be a difficult and emotional process with empathy and drive. Pam is able to understand the key legal case issues and offers solution-focused and practical advice to ensure the client feels confident in deciding what approach they should take. She is an intuitive negotiator, adopting a conciliatory approach to achieving a commercial resolution.
Pam’s drive and passion for culture and equality has led her to becoming a trustee of a Cornish charity. She is also a qualified workplace investigator and workplace mediator, which she offers as a separate consultancy practice.
Areas of expertise:
- All aspects of employment law, across multiple sectors
- Complex employment tribunal cases, negotiating and drafting settlements
- Resolving workplace disputes at all levels of the business, including advising on complex disciplinary and grievance processes
- Employment contracts and directors’ service agreements
- Industrial (trade union) relations and negotiations
- Business transfers such as TUPE transfers in and out, due diligence
Key experience:
- Drafting and revising employment contracts, policies and staff handbooks and introducing the Bradford Factor to sickness procedure within the public sector
- Successfully represented a public sector client to strike out a claim for race discrimination on grounds that the claim was unlikely to succeed
- Representing multiple educational establishments in defending claims for unfair dismissal of head teacher, discrimination claims (to include, sex, disability, race and religious discrimination), whistleblowing claims, and successfully striking out claims at preliminary hearing from teachers on time issues
- Representing multiple respondents on claims for unfair dismissal, failure to inform and consult, whistleblowing and addressing preliminary jurisdiction issues regarding correct respondent and time limits
- Successfully defending public sector respondent against claims for disability discrimination, unfair dismissal and whistleblowing
- Represented respondent (Fire Authority) during litigation and judicial mediation for claims of disablity discrimination, sex discrimimation, whistleblowing and unfair dismissal
- Advising public sector, town and parish councils and commercial company on TUPE transfers disputes
- Preparing a due diligence toolkit for public sector to use in waste procurement for incoming and outgoing providers, to streamline the process and ensure relevant information is shared at appropriate stages
- Advising and drafting directors contracts, letters of engagement for independent chair and non-executive directors and recruitment packs for new company
- Advising group company on business re-organisation, inter group transfers and pay structure.
