Expertise

Georgia joined Gateley in 2016 and qualified in March 2020 into the employment team. She is based in Leeds and supports the employment teams in Manchester, Birmingham and Nottingham on all aspects of employment law.

Georgia regularly assists clients with a variety of contentious and non-contentious matters including advising on day-to-day employment issues, such as drafting employment contracts, grievance and disciplinary investigations, dismissals, redundancies (including collective consultation obligations), managing sickness absence and reviewing and updating internal policies. She provides advice to a range of corporate clients through dedicated helpline services, including a large international retail client, as well as providing training on employee relations matters, including the new duty to prevent sexual harassment. Georgia also advises unionised clients in relation to trade union recognition, collective bargaining and potential industrial action and secondary action.

Georgia has significant experience in supporting a number of corporate clients in defending complicated Employment Tribunal proceedings involving issues such as unlawful discrimination, whistleblowing detriments and victimisation based on philosophical beliefs. She now runs her own cases including attending hearings. 

Georgia assists on corporate matters in share and asset sales, including carrying out due diligence, support on TUPE exercises and drafting contractual documentation for executives. Georgia also has experience in senior exits for investment and PE clients. 

Experience

  1. Advising an industrial client in relation to a disputed TUPE situation, which involved an intense negotiation and resulted in a settlement agreement, a successful result for both parties and also for the employees affected. 
  2. Advising a client in relation to Employment Tribunal claims from two employees who were dismissed following a TUPE transfer, that the transferee disputed; identified a strong weakness in the transferee’s case and, following a sensible discussion with the legal representatives, the transferee accepted the TUPE liability and the claims against the client were dismissed. 
  3. Advising a large UK client in proposed industrial action regarding pay negotiations, which would have resulted in strikes over the client’s busiest period during their financial year; provided advice to the client, alongside counsel, regarding the lawfulness of strike notices and the pay negotiations, which resulted in a deal being reached before the strike action commenced. 
  4. Attending a 5-day employment tribunal hearing alongside counsel, representing a respondent in relation to harassment and victimisation claims brought following a claimant’s disclosure in the workplace of a philosophical belief, which they argued was protected by the Equality Act 2010.