Expertise
Abby brings over a decade of specialist employment law expertise, with experience in private practice and most recently acting as inhouse employment counsel for BT plc.
Abby’s core areas of expertise include TUPE and corporate restructuring, having led numerous transformation projects involving workforce transitions, site relocations, and organisational redesigns. Abby specialises in managing complex employee relations matters, from long-term sickness absences to senior exits, balancing legal compliance with commercial objectives. Contentious experience includes defending complex discrimination claims, unfair dismissal cases, and successfully negotiating settlement agreements for high-profile matters.
Abby also has experience in pensions and benefits, supporting innovative initiatives such as enhanced family leave policies and inclusive benefits packages. Additionally, Abby has experience in international employment matters, having advised on overseas employment arrangements and cross-border divestment projects.
How do you help clients?
My approach centres on delivering pragmatic, business-focused advice that balances legal compliance with commercial realities. I pride myself on working as a true partner to the business, understanding strategic objectives and translating complex legal requirements into actionable solutions that enable organisations to achieve their goals whilst managing risk appropriately.
I also provide proactive support, providing regular training and updates to HR teams to build their capability and confidence in managing employment matters, including training on positive action to support diversity initiatives and rolling out Employment Rights Bill preparation programmes to ensure organisational readiness.
I work closely with client stakeholders, serving as a trusted advisor on sensitive matters requiring urgent attention. I monitor trends to identify cultural challenges and provide strategic guidance on culture change programmes and transformation projects, from initial planning through to implementation. This includes advising on communication strategies, consultation processes with employee representatives, and risk mitigation measures.
Experience
- Advising on the TUPE aspects of a successful £1.3bn bid to supply network services to government bodies.
- Advising on a sales transformation project, looking at changes to sales pay plans and allowances to improve sales performance, including advising on change strategy and consultation with the unions.
- Advising on the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision on biological sex and the implications of the USA’s Executive Orders on an organisation’s inclusion strategy.
- Advising on a project to modernise and improve BT’s benefits offering in order to ensure benefits packages and policies and procedures are as inclusive as possible, including the introduction of Family Leave which provides secondary parents with the same paid leave as mothers.
- Advising on BT’s Better Workplace Programme, a project focussed on consolidating BT’s property portfolio and relocating employees into city centre hubs, including reviews of all proposed communications with unions and staff; advice on options available to minimise the impact of the project, including the use of voluntary severance.