Merran Sewell

Expertise

Merran is a specialist employment lawyer advising on all aspects of the employment relationship. She provides straightforward, practical advice with an emphasis on finding solutions.

Merran supports a range of clients from internationally-headquartered entities and household names to SMEs and senior executives in their personal capacity.

Merran manages the full range of employment tribunal claims and has extensive experience of multi-party litigation. She was instructed by the lead respondent in litigation described by The Guardian as “the largest ever legal claim over the national minimum wage” and regularly represents employers in a range of tribunal claims involving issues such as whistleblowing, constructive unfair dismissal, the adequacy of TUPE information and consultation exercises and discrimination issues. This includes representation before the Employment Appeal Tribunal. She also regularly supports clients with complex disciplinary and grievance issues and change management programmes.

Merran regularly advises on a variety of corporate transactions and insourcing/ outsourcing exercises which often involve the TUPE Regulations. Recent support included advising Gymshark on the employment-related aspects of the investment by General Atlantic which valued the Gymshark business at over £1bn.

Merran is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association, and a former Trustee of Sport Birmingham and Chair of the Women in Business Association.

How do you help clients?

I enjoy working as an extended part of a client’s internal team to deliver solutions in a calm, commercial and timely fashion. I invest in long-term relationships and get to know a client’s people strategy to ensure that advice is always fully tailored to the client I am working alongside.

I particularly enjoy delivering training to clients’ internal HR and management teams with a view to helping implement prevention rather than cure strategies.

My focus is always on providing cost-effective, pragmatic support with clear recommendations – not just options.

Experience

1. Representing the lead respondent in multi-party litigation described by The Guardian as “the largest ever legal claim over the national minimum wage”.
2. Advising a range of employers in respect of the employment status of their workforce, including particular experience in the context of agency workers asserting employment relationships with end users.
3. Representing a respondent in litigation which became a leading authority on the issue of ‘fragmentation’ in the context of TUPE. 
4. Acting for Gymshark in respect of the employment-related aspects of the investment by General Atlantic which valued the business at over £1bn.
5. Providing employment support to a company registered in the USA in relation to its acquisition of UK and Hong Kong limited companies, including liaising with a global team of lawyers to coordinate the people aspects of the sale.