Doyle Clayton

Doyle Clayton is the UK’s largest and most successful specialist workplace law firm. It is a recognised market leaders for its work with both employers and individuals.

About the firm. Doyle Clayton was set up by Peter Doyle and Darren Clayton in 1997 as specialist employment law boutique. Over the years it has expanded its services to include immigration, pension, regulatory, data protection, employee benefits, share schemes and remuneration, health and safety, start-up support and employee ownership trust services. It also has one of the UK’s leading education teams providing services for the education sector, its employees as well as students/parents. This also includes a specialist team providing SEND (special educational needs) help and advice so that children and young adults get the help and support they need at the right school, college or university.

Today the firm operates from two offices (London and Reading) and employs over 50 specialist lawyers and advisors. It is also a founder member of ELLINT (www.ellint.net), an international network of specialist employment law firms.

Types of work undertaken: Doyle Clayton advises on a wide range of workplace legal issues (both contentious and non-contentious).

Employment: specialist employment lawyers provide high-quality advice and support which covers the full range of employment law matters including: contracts, policies and procedures; employment disputes in the High Court and tribunals; TUPE; redundancy situations and termination of employment; settlement agreements; injunctions and team moves; and partnership and minority shareholder disputes.

Business immigration: this specialist team has a wealth of experience in all areas of business immigration law, including the points-based system (PBS), and keeps abreast of the latest developments so that it can guide both individual and employer clients through the immigration process. The firm has expertise in relation to applications under each tier of the PBS, including applications for investors and entrepreneurs under Tier 1 and Tier 5 (GAE) visas. It advises employer clients on applying for sponsor licences, related compliance issues, and issuing certificates of sponsorship (under Tier 2 of PBS, which includes the general skilled category and the intracompany transfer category). It has a 100% success rate for clients’ sponsor licence applications and knows how to expedite matters when required. The team is expanding its global immigration visa assistance capabilities, including advising on Schengen visas. In addition, the team advises on other non-PBS visas including sole representative applications, as well as assisting individuals to obtain settlement and British citizenship. The team also has particular expertise in EEA matters in relation to obtaining immigration documentation for EEA nationals and their dependant family members.

Employee benefits: the pensions team has experience of all forms of UK-based pension arrangements, advising employers, trustees and intermediaries. Doyle Clayton’s employee share incentives experts can help design and deliver the right share scheme solution for each business, guiding clients through the increasingly challenging tax, corporate governance, employment law and regulatory issues. It also advises on the operation and administration of share schemes, helping on the grant of new awards, processing vested awards, dealing with departing employees and advising on corporate transactions.

Other areas: data protection, regulatory, corporate/commercial, employee ownership trusts, notary public and health and safety.

Sectors: finance, insurance, professional services, manufacturing, media, education, retail, hospitality, leisure, transport and logistics, technology, pharmaceuticals and startups.