Actons, the leading independent law firm in Nottingham, has expanded its employment law team with the appointment of a new associate and solicitor.
The firm has recruited James Symons and Laura Robinson as a result of an upturn in work from organisations caused by a number of changes including those at the Employment Tribunals, where fees for employees lodging claims were withdrawn in August 2017. The Ministry of Justice statistics released in March show a 90 percent increase in claims being lodged at employment tribunals between October and December 2017 compared to the same period in 2016.
New associate and employment law specialist James Symons joins the firm after spending eight years at Freeths, and Laura Robinson joined the team after completing her training contract at Shakespeare Martineau. As well as advising employers on the full range of employment law and HR related issues, James has particular experience advising employers who recognise trade unions to conduct collective bargaining and advising in situations where TUPE is an issue.
The employment team at Actons advises a wide range of organisations including Lookers plc, Bathstore and J Tomlinson on all HR and employment-related issues, as well as advising senior executives. The teams involvement as founding partners of The East Midlands HR Network also means they are regularly meeting HR professionals from across the region, keeping up to date with the latest developments and trends in HR and people management, across various sectors.
Nic Elliott, director and head of employment law at Actons said “I’m absolutely delighted James and Laura decided to join our team at such an exciting time, both in employment law and at the firm generally. The decision to recruit them was a direct result of a marked increase in demand from existing clients and our continual success in managing to secure great new businesses to work with.”
“The abolition of fees at tribunals has definitely been behind the increase, both with actual claims being lodged, but also as employers revisit their approach to risk. We’ve also seen an increase from employers wanting advice on other high profile issues such as GDPR – the new data protection regulation, gender pay reporting, national minimum wage and employment status.”
Nicky Calthrop-Owen, chairman at Actons, commented: “I’m pleased that once again we have been seen as an attractive proposition for talented people from larger regional law firms because of our strong client base and the opportunities we can provide to our people.”
Posted on June 6, 2018
