David Hunt

Partner

David advises employer clients, with a particular focus on the financial services and sport sectors, on a wide range of contentious and non-contentious employment issues. He also acts for individuals in relation to contract and exit negotiations and advises them on matters relating to restrictive covenants.

David joined Farrer & Co in 1999 and has been a partner in the firm's employment team since 2008.

Clients value how responsive David is and the practical and commercial nature of the advice he provides. He is straightforward, to the point and very easy to work with.

David works with employer clients from a range of different sectors, but has a particular focus on the financial services' and sports' sectors. His work for his employer clients includes advisory work related to internal procedures and processes, negotiating settlement agreements with departing employees (and advising on the related strategy), defending Employment Tribunal proceedings and working on larger projects, such as collective redundancy consultations or TUPE related transfers. He also acts for employers seeking to enforce restrictive covenants against departing employees or teams.

Within the financial services sector, David, in addition to the sorts of matters referred to above, has also advised on the implementation of the Senior Managers and Certification Regime, on the new regulatory reference regime, on issues relating to fitness and propriety more generally and on remuneration related matters.

Within the sports sector, David advises a number of leading sports governing bodies and clubs on employment related issues and on wider equality related matters.

In relation to private individuals, David also acts for senior executives in relation to contract negotiations, negotiated exits, disputes around restrictive covenants and, where necessary, litigation.

Clients instruct David because, in addition to being very easy to work with, he is extremely responsive and provides advice that is straightforward, commercial and pragmatic.

David qualified as a solicitor in 2001.

Expertise

Sports

David acts for a number of leading sports governing bodies, for clubs and for individual athletes on both employment and equality related issues. For example, he has provided legal support in relation to a number of high profile hires and exits, sports specific issues around selection and the promotion of home grown players, individual employee relations issues and wider projects, such as redundancy restructures and TUPE transfers.

Senior Executives

David regularly acts for senior executives working in the City or for FTSE 250 companies in relation to hiring, negotiated exits and, where necessary, litigation. He also has particular specialism in relation to restrictive covenant issues and the legal issues arising in relation to team moves.

Financial Services

David has advised a number of banks and other regulated firms on a full range of employment related issues, from redundancy and wider restructures and individual disciplinary or grievance related issues through to the introduction of specific regulatory rules, such as the Senior Managers and Certification Regime and regulatory references. He has also acted for a number of employers in the sector in successfully defending Employment Tribunal proceedings, including several high value discrimination and whistleblowing claims.

Testimonials

David Hunt is a partner at Farrer & Co who handles whistle-blowing, disciplinary and grievance matters for employers from a range of industries. He has a particular emphasis on the financial services and sports sectors. Hunt also has additional expertise in handling High Court litigation matters. (Chambers UK 2025)

"He always knows the answer and is really commercial in his advice." (Chambers UK 2025)

"He's very calm, clever and cerebral but down to earth and commercial." (Chambers UK 2025)

"David provides excellent support to us where we feel he is an extension of our team. He is incredibly responsive and pragmatic." (Chambers UK 2025)

"David Hunt is the ideal employment law solicitor. Intelligent, hard-working, practical, empathetic and utterly unflappable. I can put him before any member of my organisation, from the most junior to the most senior, and know that he will inspire confidence and trust." (Legal 500 2025)

"David Hunt – very approachable and easy to talk with. Often provides excellent advice in a simple, digestible manner." (Legal 500 2024)

"David is a safe pair of hands who fights hard for his clients in a pragmatic way." (Chambers UK 2024)

David is ranked in both leading legal directories Chambers UK and The Legal 500.

"His strengths lie in his attention to detail, his availability and his expert knowledge." "He is really helpful, he is hard-working and he is tenacious in dealing with very difficult matters." (Chambers UK 2022)

"David Hunt is amongst the best employment lawyers in the business. He is excellent with clients, brilliant lawyers and great tacticians. His team of associates are extremely hard working and responsive. (Legal 500 2022)

"David Hunt is highly knowledgeable yet approachable with a goal-orientated outlook." (Legal 500 2022)

"He has great judgement, clearly explains relevant points of law and takes a pragmatic, commercial approach." "Absolutely first-class service; he's efficient and quick to respond, dealing with a wide range of difficult matters." "He has a great level of detail and understanding of restrictive covenants and team move issues. He's a really good technical lawyer and has a lot of experience." (Chambers UK 2021)

"David Hunt is a clear expert on all matters relating to employment law. However his real skill shines through when he is applying his knowledge to different settings, and his advice this year on employment law challenges for referees in sport has been hugely helpful. He provides clarity of thought and leaves you feeling informed and able to make decisions on the best way forward for your organisation." (Legal 500 2021)

The "absolutely brilliant" David Hunt is described as "very pragmatic and quick to respond" by his clients. He is routinely instructed by those in the financial and education sectors to handle a range of employment matters, particularly redundancies and tribunal litigation. (Chambers UK 2018)

David Hunt advises employers on both contentious and non-contentious issues, with particular expertise on large-scale redundancies and Employment Tribunal litigation. Clients state that he is "always very responsive, flexible and provides sound commercial advice." (Chambers UK 2017)

David Hunt works with an impressive roster of clients in the commercial, charity, sports, banking and education sectors. Sources describe him as "exceptionally commercial, knowledgeable and client-focused." (Chambers UK 2016)