Rachel Lewis

Partner - Board Member

Rachel has over 20 years’ experience advising a diverse range of clients across the full spectrum of employment law issues. She is well known for her pragmatism, supportiveness and for the commerciality of her approach.

Rachel is a trusted adviser to both employers and senior executives on a broad range of employment law issues. Her work includes designing and managing large-scale redundancy and restructuring programmes, high-profile discrimination actions and advising on sensitive matters including senior-level dismissals and tricky exits.

Over a long career in the field, Rachel has run significant employment tribunal claims involving complex discrimination and whistleblowing issues, as well as undertaking mediation as an alternative to litigation.

Rachel’s client base spans organisations operating in the commercial, cultural, charity and professional services sectors. She has developed an impressive pedigree in the public sector, including providing guidance for clients on restructurings and redundancies. Within the cultural arena, she is particularly well known for her work with museums and galleries. She also has significant experience working with professional practices including barristers’ chambers and solicitors’ firms, and is very knowledgeable on the particular employment and partnership law considerations which apply to clients in this sector.

Rachel has an excellent track record of building long-term working relationships with her clients' HR and management teams. With this insight and experience, she is able to add value to their businesses by providing highly tailored advice, sensitive to individual cultures.

Alongside her high-profile employer clients, Rachel has developed a strong track record advising senior executives, in particular on negotiating exits and new contracts, as well as supporting clients through team moves and partnership issues.

Beyond her technical excellence, she is known for her fairness, collaborative approach and ability to adapt her style depending on the context of the issue at hand. Clients rely on her to find practical solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Rachel qualified as a solicitor in 1996.

Expertise

Cultural Organisations

Rachel has advised extensively on employment law issues for clients in this sector. Her expertise includes working on collective agreements, pay structures and equal pay, as well as designing and managing large-scale redundancy and restructuring programmes.

Partnerships

Rachel acts for a range of professional services firms, particularly for solicitors’ firms and barristers’ chambers. She has experience advising barristers’ chambers implementing restructuring programmes, and supporting them on membership issues including disputes. She advises solicitors’ firms on issues related to partnership, as well as complex and sensitive employment law matters including discrimination litigation.

Charities

Rachel has acted for charities over many years and has significant experience of the range of employment law issues that affect charities. She has advised trustees on employment settlements and supported them through restructuring programmes and sensitive negotiations around the departure of senior-level staff. She has also advised on TUPE as it affects charities providing contracted-out services. She is regularly asked to provide training for charity trustees on employment law issues.

Faith-based Organisations

Rachel advises many faith-based organisations on all aspects of employment and equality law, litigation and dispute resolution.

Businesses

Rachel is a trusted adviser to employers on a broad range of employment law issues. Her work includes designing and managing large-scale redundancy and restructuring programmes, high-profile discrimination actions and advising on sensitive matters including senior-level dismissals and tricky exits.