Lewis Silkin

Employment

Senior Associate

Ed is a Senior Associate in the Employment team. Ed provides commercial advice across a broad spectrum of employment law issues, from the drafting and negotiating of senior service agreements through to dealing with senior exits and post-termination restrictions from both sides of the fence - but never on the fence. Ed has substantial experience of advising employers how to defend (and avoid) tribunal claims, ranging from one-off disputes to high value discrimination and contractual claims. He provides robust, commercial advice to clients with HR and employee relations responsibilities. Ed has worked in-house at various clients, including in the legal team at Barclays Bank Plc, advising the Bank's HR and ER communities. He also receives instructions from senior executives in respect of their service agreements, exit packages and post-termination restrictions.

Ed has particular experience of advising in the transport, retail and financial services sectors. Examples of high stakes work include:

Financial Services

The successful defence of claims brought by multiple regulated claimants who had been dismissed for removal of confidential information following a redundancy exercise. The successful defence of a high-value 2-week whistleblowing claim which required calling 6 high-ranking witnesses from a banking client. The successful defence of a race discrimination claim by a contractor, resulting in a costs award of £15,000.

Retail

Obtaining strike out of 6 complaints and deposit orders on the 13 remaining complaints against a claimant claiming constructive dismissal and sex discrimination against a large national retail client. The successful defence of a disability discrimination claim where the claimant had been out of the workplace for 3 years, then successfully claiming for costs. The successful defence of an unfair dismissal claim in which he was instructed only a week prior to hearing and where no case management deadlines had been met.

Transport

The successful defence of a 2-week race and sex discrimination claim against the company and 4 individual respondents. The successful defence of a claim for holiday pay arising from the interpretation of legacy contracts. Successfully resisting an appeal to the EAT.