Paul Ball

Expertise

Paul advises clients on employment matters across a variety of sectors in relation to:

• day-to-day employee issues such as disciplinary action and dealing with grievances
• strategic advice, in particular relating to change management: large scale redundancy, changing terms and conditions of employment or business transfer situations
• discrimination issues
• confidentiality and post-termination restrictive covenant issues
• contractual issues in relation to business transfers and TUPE
• employment aspects of corporate transactions
• employment law training
• service agreements
• settlement agreements, in particular executive severance

Paul has advised employers on all aspects of employment law for over 25 years and has particular experience in relation to discrimination issues, contractual issues arising on business transfers, and the delivery of in-house client training.

Paul has spent time on secondment as acting in-house Employment Counsel for an integrated facilities management business, advising senior HR and management in relation to strategic issues and best practice in handling some of the fundamental aspects of employment law responsibilities.

Paul enjoys collaborating and knowledge sharing with HR teams and line managers and has significant experience of training clients in a wide range of business sectors. In a previous role, for over three years Paul was responsible for designing and delivering public and in-house employment and skills training courses and webinars for clients in both the public and private sectors in the UK, Europe and across the world.

How do you help clients?

In a nutshell, I help clients sort out their workplace problems. Primarily acting for employers, I provide support with the full range of issues that arise within a workplace, from straightforward disciplinary and grievance matters, through to more challenging issues such as investigating whistleblowing allegations, bullying and harassment in the workplace and allegations of disability discrimination, and finally with complex projects such as helping manage collective redundancy exercises, large-scale changes to terms and conditions of employment and the employment implications of business transfers.

I also help our Corporate team complete their acquisitions and disposals by supporting on the employment aspects of their projects, leading on due diligence stage as well as drafting and negotiating contractual terms, warranties and indemnities.

Most of all, I always try to do this taking a down-to-earth and commercial approach to solving the problems my clients need help with.

Experience

1. Advising a client about the successful introduction of new pay arrangements which immediately eliminated a potential seven figure pay arrear liability.
2. Obtaining a significant costs award against a claimant who had pursued unsubstantiated allegations of sexual harassment.
3. Designing and co-delivering a substantial compliance management training programme on investigation skills for a global manufacturer. 
4. Successfully challenging an HMRC assessment about a client’s employment contracts in relation to a National Minimum Wage enquiry which avoided a potential six figure liability and “naming and shaming”.
5. Project managing a multi-jurisdiction legal team assisting a client with the successful planning and execution of a large-scale cross-border reorganisation.