Employment lawyer Rhodri has extensive experience in contentious and non-contentious employment law matters, corporate transactions and restructurings, and experience in employee benefits work.
Rhodri advises individuals and employers on all aspects of employment law, including appointments and dismissals, employee restructurings and workforce reductions, Employment Tribunal and High Court litigation, TUPE transfers and M&A transactions, executive remuneration, discrimination and whistleblowing matters.
Rhodri’s practice spans multiple sectors, and he has particular experience in healthcare and pharmaceuticals, natural resources, TMT, marine, financial and professional services and retail work.
Expertise
Contentious matters
- Dismissal and redundancy disputes
- Discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- Whistleblowing
- Disciplinary and grievance issues
- Restrictive covenant enforceability
- Confidentiality issues
- Employment Tribunal and High Court litigation
- Breach of contract claims including wrongful dismissal, constructive dismissal and bonus/commission claims
Non-contentious matters
- Employment contracts, service agreements and company policies and handbooks
- Settlement agreements
- Holiday and working time
- Employee relations and HR best-practice advice
- TUPE transfers, insourcing/outsourcing/retendering and M&A projects
- GDPR compliant employment practices
- Employee and corporate investigations
- Employment status and misclassification risk
- Maternity/paternity/adoption
- Redundancy planning and consultation
- Managing stress-at-work issues
Experience
Financial and Professional Services
- Advised on UK employment law implications of the acquisition (and subsequent TUPE integration) of a financial services business, including conducting due diligence and advising on structuring considerations and transaction documents, workforce retention arrangements and regulatory remuneration matters.
- Advised, and negotiated on behalf of, a senior individual in the financial/trading sector on his US$30m consultancy arrangement.
- Acted for inter-dealer brokers in High Court injunction proceedings in relation to post-termination restrictions.
- Advised a senior executive in the insurance sector on the implications of a team move to a competitor and negotiation of his employment and indemnity arrangements with the new employer.
- Advised a UK hedge fund on a redundancy procedure.
- Advised a global consultancy firm in connection with the employment and TUPE implications of terminating its provision of large-scale pension administration services to a third party.
- Represented a multinational consultancy firm in a seven-figure sex discrimination Employment Tribunal claim.
Healthcare
- Advised a global healthcare business on a successful redundancy program and on ongoing day-to-day employment matters including outsourcings, insourcings, re-tenderings and employee relations issues.
- Extensive day-to-day advice for a multinational business in the pharmaceutical logistics sector.
- Advised a multinational healthcare business on an entrenched employment dispute involving whistleblowing and discrimination allegations.
- Advised a global healthcare business in Employment Tribunal age, sex, race and whistleblowing proceedings.
- Advised a consultant doctor on pursuing and resolving discrimination and grievance allegations.
Marine and Shipping
- Advised on all aspects of employment law for the UK functions of an international and offshore geophysical company, including advising on jurisdictional matters pertaining to offshore employees, the relocation of employees upon a change of premises and managing redundancy programs.
- Advised an international shipping company on the impact of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) on its seafarers’ terms and conditions of employment and preparing MLC-compliant crewing agreements.
- Advised on crewing agreement requirements for UK flag leisure vessels.
- Prepared and advised on crewing agreements and confidentiality agreements for the crew of a high-net-worth individual’s private yacht.
- Employment due diligence and M&A advice in connection with the auction tendering of a multinational shipping company with offices in approximately seven jurisdictions.
- Advised UK and international shipping businesses on senior executives’ and directors’ terms of employment and employee incentive arrangements.
Energy and Natural Resources
- Advised a business in the natural resources sector on the internal restructuring of its workforce, on separation with a regional CEO, and on various day-to-day employment matters.
- Advised a multinational mining and natural resources business on a multijurisdictional workforce restructuring, redundancy and relocation program.
- Advised a renewables business on a complex workforce restructuring and redundancy program in connection with the divestment of a part of its asset portfolio.
- Advised on the employment law aspects of outsourcings, joint venture structures, and operation and maintenance agreements in connection with various energy projects.
- Prepared employment, employee incentive and admission documentation for companies admitting to trading on AIM.
- Advised a senior executive of an AIM listed company in his Employment Tribunal claims for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination and on prospective High Court proceedings for breach of contract.
- Acted for an employer in the natural resources sector on a disability discrimination claim involving liabilities in connection with the provision of permanent health insurance.
Other Sectors
- Advised two global businesses on employment and data privacy law implications of internal and regulatory investigations.
- Advised a multinational textile business on the employment and TUPE implications of the transfer of one of its product and retail lines to a third party.
- Conducted and supervised multiple Employment Tribunal proceedings for a global cosmetics business.
- Acted for a private equity business on separation with the managing director of a media sector portfolio company.
- GDPR compliance employment review and gap analysis project, involving advising on UK implications and coordination and delivery of multijurisdictional advice.
- Advised on, and prepared for, seeking injunctive relief to restrain breaches of non-solicitation of employees’ post-termination restrictions for an employer in the media and public relations industry.
- Conducted disciplinary and grievance investigations on behalf of a household-name media business.
- Advised a US-based technology business on restraint and recovery proceedings against a former employee in relation to database material.
- Extensive day-to-day advisory work for a multinational business in the transportation logistics sector.
- Prepared share option and EMI documentation and advised on the employee benefit strategy (including equity structuring strategy) for an internet start-up operating with private equity funding.
- Provided advice on all UK employment law aspects of multiple M&A/insourcing/outsourcing/retendering transactions including on TUPE, redundancy and share option arrangements, transaction documentation and due diligence. Specimen matters included: the acquisition of a UK-based automotive distributor; sale of a hotel chain; sale of a multinational educational services business; and the proposed acquisition of a UK renewable energy company with entrenched share option arrangements.
Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.
Career
Rhodri qualified as a solicitor in 2005. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2019, he worked at the following firms:
- Baker & McKenzie
- Watson Farley & Williams