Wealth & Finance International - March 2017

Wealth & Finance International 48 Working for Individuals homson Snell & Passmore LLP is a leading full service law firm providing peace of mind to generations of families and businesses. We are officially the oldest law firm in operation (Guinness World Records), however we are also committed to providing forward-thinking and innovative legal solutions that will best meet our client’s needs. We provide clear, practical legal advice, which results in the best out- come for our clients. We think this is a common-sense approach, but one which is surprisingly uncommon. The commitment we make to our clients is: • A specialist from our team of over 110 lawyers will devote time and attention to understanding your needs and objectives; • We will use our astute thinking to provide an insightful solution that represents the best value for you or your business and; • Our advice is straightforward advice conveyed in a straightforward way. This is why so many individuals, whether business leaders or in senior management return repeatedly for our support and advice on the issues they face. And it’s why 25 of our specialist practice areas are ranked by the leading independent guides to UK law firms. The employment team Our employment team advises senior executives, business people and businesses on all aspects of employment law. Our work for businesses includes conducting employment tribunal and high court litigation as well as advisory work such as restructur- ing projects, TUPE business sales and acquisitions, outsourcing and re-contracting. We adopt a robust approach when defending employers who are on the receiving end of tribunal claims and our credentials are becoming increasingly well established, with tribunal claim work increasing during 2016 despite the overall reduction in tribunal claims since tribunal fees were introduced. The team also advises employees on their rights at work, particularly se- nior executives and directors, on matters such as recruitment and incen- tives, boardroom disputes, managed exits and settlement agreements. The employment team is led by two partners, Nick Hobden and Susan- na Rynehart, who have both consistently been ranked by the Chambers legal directory as leaders in their field, with over 47 years of experience between them. The team has steadily grown its revenue by 10% each year over recent years; a new paralegal joined us in September 2015 and we recruited an assistant solicitor in September 2016. Legal Awards - Recognised Excellence in Employment Law We are delighted to have received this award and are pleased that our achievements over the past year have been recognised in this way. This has only been possible because of the hard work of each member of our team in their unwavering commitment to securing the best outcomes possible for our clients. We will continue to build on what we have achieved over the past year and expect to continue to grow this year in terms of a loyal client base on the back of our reputation for being trusted advisers. To be recognised for the Legal Awards – Recognised Excellence in Employment Law UK – is an external affirmation of our own standards of excellence. We pride ourselves on providing high quality legal advice and such recognition confirms to us that we are continuing to success- fully assist our clients in achieving their objectives. Our successes in 2016 This award has capped off a very successful year for the employment team. Our drive to target specific sectors in 2016 has proved very suc- cessful and we have achieved some excellent results for our clients. Education, education, education We are recognised as experts in the education sector and our profile in this sector continued to grow throughout 2016. We find that schools and multi-school organisations are increasingly looking for education expertise outside of London at much more competitive prices, and this is a gap in the market, which we have successfully filled. We have won a number of new clients in the education sector and expect this trend to continue. Partner and Head of the Department Nick Hobden regularly acts for clients in the education sector, and in 2016 and his work in this field was diverse as: • Advising an all-girls state school on their public-sector equality duty in relation to the presence of a girl who identified as a male and; • Successfully managing away, the risk of a claim threatened by a disabled prospective student of a school who claimed that the school had failed to make reasonable adjustments during his inter- view process. Charity and not for profit Over the course of 2016, the team had a number of successes in the charity and not for profit sector, which now equates to a significant percentage of the work that the team does. Legal Awards - Recognised Excellence in Employment Law UK winner Thomson Snell & Passmore LLP provides an introduction to their forward-thinking and innovative legal solutions that will best meet their client’s needs in this in-depth article. T 1703WF36