Emma is a principal employment lawyer based at Thompsons' London office, handling cases for trade union clients in London, the East and South East of England.
Emma has specialised in providing employment law advice to trade unions and its members since qualifying as a solicitor over 15 years ago. She provides advice and litigates cases on all aspects of employment law, including unfair dismissal, discrimination, redundancy, collective consultation and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE).
She has a particular interest in maternity discrimination claims and is a Trustee of the charity, Maternity Action, as well as being a member of Maternity Action’s Legal Working Group.
Emma often gives talks and lectures on employment law at Thompsons' and trade union organised events, as well as external organisations, such as the Institute of Employment Rights. She writes articles and commentary for publications including the Labour and European Law Review.
Emma supervises the work of junior employment executives and trainee solicitors within the London office and is a member of Thompsons’ training group, where she assists in drafting internal and external training material.
Outside of work, Emma enjoys days out with her young family, exploring new places, and is an active member of her children’s Parent and Teacher Association.
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Emma's case experience
- Successfully represented a client in a claim against the Financial Times, who was subject to maternity discrimination when she returned to work and was not given appropriate guidance and support.
- Represented a client in a case against the Secretary of State for Justice, which established that all material evidence should be considered when deciding whether employment was suitable and appropriate on return from maternity leave.
- Represented a client in an Employment Appeal Tribunal which held that the correct approach, when deciding whether an employer had failed to make a reasonable adjustment, was to consider it in the context of that particular adjustment, not whether the failure to make it was reasonable or not.
- Represented a client where the Employment Appeal Tribunal held that the entitlement to benefit under a long-term disability scheme only applied if the workers were unable to work for any employer.
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