Tim Spillane leads the employment offering at Bird & Bird LLP. Spillane has particular strength in advising on issues such as senior-level terminations, and trade secret cases. The practice covers the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law. It frequently works on an array of large multi-jurisdictional projects, and complex domestic disputes. Ian Hunter is recognised for his work on the full range of employment and HR issues. Alison Dixon has a strong employer practice. Furat Ashraf and Emily Clark were promoted to the partnership in May 2023.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

  • ‘The team is very responsive and seeks to understand my concerns and challenges before responding. I always know I will receive top quality and practical (which is incredibly important) advice from the team that I can share with my internal clients.’

  • ‘Kate Hurn is my go-to associate, and provides excellent and practical advice. She is reliable, practical, very knowledgeable.'

  • ‘Liz Lang and Jonathan Goldsworthy have unrivalled knowledge of our sector and deeply understand our challenges, having acted for us for over a decade.’

  • ‘Emily Clark stands out as someone who is genuinely excited about the big issues in employment law and what they mean in practice for her clients. She is always pragmatic in her advice - she focuses on how you can achieve what you need to achieve in the given timeframes.'

  • 'Quick to master their brief. Highly organised: systematic and responsive.'

  • 'Very knowledgeable, fast responses to queries and questions, always collaborative.'

Key clients

  • SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK
  • Gulf International Bank
  • Allwyn
  • Jet2.com Limited
  • Jet2holidays
  • Jet2 plc

Work highlights

  • Advised SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK on a significant UK employment matter.
  • Supported Gulf International Bank in successfully resisting a claimant’s application for her appeal to be considered by the Supreme Court, bringing an end to the litigation in the case of Kong -v-Gulf International Bank.
  • Advised Allwyn on the employment issues relating to its successful application to operate the UK National Lottery, one of the largest public sector contracts in the UK.

Lawyers

Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Next Generation Partners
Junior partners with significant recognition from clients and peers in the market and key roles on multiple matters.

Practice head

The lawyer(s) leading their teams.

Tim Spillane

Other key lawyers

Ian Hunter, Alison Dixon, Kate Hurn, Furat Ashra, Emily Clark, Jonathan Goldsworthy, Elizabeth Lang