Fox & Partners

Lawyers at Fox & Partners collectively have decades of experience resolving high profile and sensitive City issues involving employers, employees, directors, shareholders, firms, partners and LLP members. Potentially litigious matters are often resolved discreetly and efficiently; when that is not possible Fox & Partners litigates vigorously on behalf of clients in court, tribunal and arbitration proceedings. Fox & Partners combine employment, partnership and dispute resolution in one team and prides itself on its understanding of how the law intersects with the regulation, culture and practice of the clients it represents.

Partnership law: Fox & Partners is engaged by partners/members and partnerships and LLPs within the legal, insurance and financial services sectors (including hedge funds, asset management and private equity), where there are not only high value financial issues at stake, but also regulatory and reputational issues to consider.

The firm has undertaken partnership litigation in multiple jurisdictions and forums including in arbitration, the dispute resolution forum of choice for many partnerships and LLPs. Business protection issues are common in the partnership space and the firm has acted for recruiting firms, departing partners and firms seeking to protect their clients and teams, including bringing and defending injunctions. It has represented clients in large scale team move cases and arbitrations addressing highly technical areas of partnership law, including dissolution and forfeiture claims.

The firm has long been recognised as the “partner’s partner”. Advising on sensitive partner conduct issues, performance issues, discrimination and whistleblowing complaints are core aspects of the firm’s practice. Fox & Partners receive regular instructions from LLP members to advise on issues at the cutting edge of partnership law, including relating to discretionary decision making to expel or retire partners. In the financial services sector this typically involves disputes concerning the loss of multi-million pounds of carried interest or profit share.

The firm has been instructed on a number of high profile matters, including complex misconduct investigations, including harassment, against a backdrop of regulation and detailed scrutiny of proper process. Fox & Partners’ experience in acting for many players – the victim, the alleged perpetrator and the firm – means the firm is uniquely placed to assist clients in these sensitive (with potentially career-ending and business reputation damaging consequences) matters.

Employment law: Fox & Partners has undertaken employment litigation in multiple jurisdictions and across a variety of forums, with increasing cross-border elements.

The firm is often instructed on business protection and team move cases across a variety of sectors and regularly provide the full spectrum of advice, including initial review of express and implied restrictions, advice on fiduciary duties and the law relating to confidentiality, coordinating the interrelationship with other participants’ advisers through to bringing and defending injunctions. The last few years have seen a growth in the firm’s instruction on complex business protection work. With experience acting for all players a major strength is understanding the issues from all angles. Our recent experience, acting in some of the most high profile team move cases amongst the best in the business has cemented the firm’s reputation as a go-to firm in the employee competition space.

Fox & Partners is regularly instructed by employees and employers bringing or defending high value and sensitive discrimination and whistleblowing claims and have seen many through to a final Employment Tribunal hearing.

The firm’s employer clients, often small and medium-sized businesses or firms, typically seek us out to advise on “bet the business” type work. Work regularly relates to business protection (restrictive covenants and team move matters) or high value, sensitive and potentially reputation damaging claims threatened or brought.