David is head of the Employment team. He has wide experience of advising commercial and institutional clients including newspapers, magazines, banks and academic establishments. David advises on restructuring and redundancy programmes and on the complexities of the Transfer of Undertakings Regulations, as well as handling industrial disputes, team moves and individual cases. He is a regular author of Croner’s publications and writes chapters for both Butterworths Commercial and Tolley’s Personnel precedents. David was runner-up in the Employment Lawyer of the Year award sponsored by the Insiders Guide to Employment Lawyers and is given a four star rating in the same guide. He is rated as a leading expert in the field by both Chambers and Legal 500.
Farrer & Co
The employment team at Farrer & Co is noted for its expertise in the financial sector, excelling in contentious employee protection work with specialist investigations proficiency. The practice is led by founder David Smellie, who advises on crisis management and leads on employment related safe-guarding matters. Frequently dealing with high-profile and high-value matters, the firm is a popular choice for senior individuals in highly regulated sectors. Co-heads of the practice Eleanor Rowswell and Anna Birtwistle expand the team’s expertise to complex cross-border mediation and arbitration, with increasing focus on contractual High Court disputes. Also highly regarded is David Hunt, known for his expertise in partner moves and restrictive covenant cases. Kathleen Heycock advises on post-termination restriction issues, while Alice Cave works on high-value whistleblowing cases. Alice Yandle - praised for her 'great tactical sense' - routinely handles exits in the financial services, insurance, and tech sectors.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
‘Kathleen Heycock a superb lawyer. She is great at understanding the nuances of a situation and guiding the client to be practical.'
'David Smellie and David Hunt have a wealth of legal expertise and practical experience. They give great attention to detail, and are great tacticians and wonderful with clients.’
'Alice Yandle has great tactical sense and can draw on her deep knowledge of all aspects of employment law.'
‘Farrer & Co's breadth of technical expertise enables them to provide great advice and solutions with a personable approach.’
‘The Farrer & Co team is exceptionally responsive and practical. They go to great lengths to understand the sector in order to give thoughtfully tailored advice and service.'
'Expert advice delivered with empathy.'
Key clients
- The pilot members of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA)
- Lateral hire partners joining Ernst & Young
Work highlights
- Acting for the individual members of the British Airline Pilots Association in all employment-related matters affecting them, including representing individuals in Employment Tribunal proceedings.
- Provided independent legal advice to 85 new lateral partner hires on their recruitment to EY.
- Advised five prominent individuals on their move as a team to a new employer.
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Rising stars
Alice advises clients on a wide range of employment matters, both contentious and non-contentious. She has experience of conducting Employment Tribunal litigation (including a number of high-value claims) from the initial presentation of a claim through to a hearing or settlement. She is experienced in providing day-to-day advisory support to clients, giving prompt advice on issues as they arise. She also assists clients embarking on longer-term projects such as redundancy exercises. Alice regularly advises employers and employees on employment contracts, compromise agreements, policies and procedures and other employment-related documents.
Leading individuals
Practice head
The lawyer(s) leading their teams.
David Smellie