Melanie Lane > CMS > London, England > Lawyer Profile

CMS
CANNON PLACE
78 CANNON STREET
LONDON
EC4N 6AF
England
Melanie Lane photo

Position

Partner

Career

Melanie Lane is a partner in the Employment Team at CMS London.  She has over 25 years’ experience of supporting employer clients with the full range of employment law issues, from day-to-day employment documentation and workplace matters to complex employment litigation, investigations, business reorganisations and outsourcings. Her clients include numerous household names across a variety of industries, with a particular focus on the consumer products/retail, leisure, life sciences, media and technology sectors.

Melanie has advised on some of the leading whistleblowing claims in the UK, including in Employment Appeal Tribunal in the first case to consider alleged protected disclosures based on damage to the environment, and in the Court of Appeal. In recent years she has advised a number of high-profile clients on large-scale business reorganisations, including their information and consultation obligations with both unionised and non-unionised workforces, and on sensitive internal investigations, for example into allegations against C-suite executives and about equal pay. She is an expert on the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (“TUPE”) and has provided the employment support on many of the firm’s award-winning outsourcing transactions.

Melanie prides herself on understanding her clients’ businesses and providing practical and commercial advice focused on and tailored to their specific needs.  She is a regular speaker and writer on a variety of employment law topics including whistleblowing.

Memberships

  • Employment Lawyers Association.
  • European Employment Lawyers Association.
  • Association of Partnership Practitioners.
  • International Bar Association.
  • American Bar Association.

Education

  • 1999 – Admitted as a Solicitor in England and Wales.
  • 1997 – LPC, College of Law, Guildford.
  • 1996 – GDL, College of Law, Guildford.
  • 1995 – BA (Politics and Modern History), Manchester University, Manchester.

Lawyer Rankings

Scotland > Employment > Employment

With a robust presence in the financial services, consumer products, and higher education sectors, CMS is able to advise on high-value transactions and employment litigation. Particularly adept at multijurisdictional mandates, Alison Woods co-heads the firm’s UK employment team from Aberdeen, alongside London-based Melanie Lane. In addition to her strengths in the financial services and energy sectors, Gillian MacLellan is also active in the diversity and inclusion space. Finlay McKay is noted for his experience handling employment tribunal litigation, and Catriona Aldridge offers expertise in ESG-related employment matters.

London > Employment > Employers

(Leading partners)

Melanie LaneCMS

The ‘hugely responsive’ team at CMS is praised for its ‘high level of attention to detail’ under the joint leadership of Aberdeen-based Alison Woods, and London-based Melanie Lane. This standalone international employment practice advises some well-known companies on a variety of complex UK employment matters. It has particularly strong expertise in sectors such as consumer products and retail, as well as technology, media and telecommunications. The agile team receives a regular flow of instructions in complex business reorganisations and restructurings, global outsourcing projects, as well as Employment Tribunal and High Court litigation. It is also experienced at handling major corporate and commercial transactions, as well as an array of ESG issues, and workplace investigations. The ‘very strongSteven Cochrane, Catherine Taylor and Anna Cope are all recommended.