Negotiating the exit of a senior individual from an organisation is set to change – and for UHNW clients, the process may become considerably more challenging.
Employment law in the UK is in the midst of a major overhaul, as staggered parts of the government’s Employment Rights Act are coming into effect over the course of 2026 and 2027. The cap on compensation for unfair dismissal claims has been removed completely – and claims can now be brought after six months of work, rather than two years.
Which is why the work of the country’s top employment lawyers is about to matter more than ever – helping clients structure exits properly, weigh up what a fair settlement looks like under the new rules and avoid a dismissal claim turning into something bigger and more costly.
Related
Explore the other rankings within the 2026 Spear’s Legal Indices:
- The best hommes & femmes d’affaires in 2026
- The best corporate lawyers in 2026
- The best litigation & dispute resolution lawyers in 2026
- The best landed estate lawyers in 2026
Themes in 2026
Discrimination cases
Discrimination cases have risen sharply over the past year, and now account for a significant share of the work undertaken by top employment lawyers.
In July 2026, the former Goldman Sachs executive Jon Reeves won £1.45 million after a tribunal found he was subjected to sex discrimination and unfair dismissal when he was let go during an extended period of parental leave. Some legal experts saw the ruling as proof that tribunals will give short thrift to ‘generous’ parental leave policies, if organisations don’t uphold them in practice.
Meanwhile, wealth manager Dah-Eun Chae is in the midst of proceedings against former employer UBS. Chae, who is listed in the Spear’s indices as a top recommended wealth manager at the Swiss private bank Julius Baer, alleges that she faced maternity discrimination, sex discrimination and unfair dismissal towards the end of her time at UBS, with proceedings ongoing at the time of writing.
Strategic thinking
With the rules shifting fast, anticipating what’s coming next matters more than ever – and many of the employment lawyers featured in this index told Spear’s that staying ahead of the game remains central to their work. ‘My job is like chess,’ says Victoria Willson of Simkins. ‘I always have to think two steps ahead and anticipate the other side’s tactics.’
A partner at Mishcon de Reya who spoke to Spear’s agreed that thinking ahead is crucial in employment law, but also encourages this approach from her clients: ‘I always ask clients at the beginning of a matter “if we had a magic wand, where would you want to end up”, then I set a strategy around that and try to get to that endpoint for them.’
Content from our partners
Click the links below to jump to a section of this article:
- Methodology
- The best employment lawyers: some names to know
- The best employment lawyers: the complete list
- Contact us
Methodology
Each year, the Spear’s Research Unit reassesses and refreshes its rankings of the leading providers in each sector by gathering data from and about the advisers and firms themselves, assessing submission forms, collating nominations, carrying out peer reviews, reviewing data from third-party sources, gathering references and recommendations, canvassing experts and conducting hundreds of interviews.
Advisers are evaluated using a proprietary scoring system that assigns different weightings to certain attributes. These scores feed directly into each new set of rankings in the Spear’s Indices. Each of these indices are published first online (according to the research calendar) and then in print. Print publication takes the form of the annual Spear’s 500 directory, which includes the top advisers in every index.
[See also: A guide to the Spear’s 500: Everything you need to know]
Each featured adviser is profiled on spears500.com. The site allows users to search the Spear’s database of more than 4,000 entities to find one (or more) to meet their specific requirements by filtering for specific attributes such as an adviser’s location, their specialist expertise and information about their client base.
The best employment lawyers: some names to know
Shazia Khan
- Focus: Claimant-side litigation
- Position: Founding partner
- Firm: Cole Khan
- Rank: Recommended
Unlike many employment law firms that take on cases for employers as well as employees, Cole Khan focuses specifically on senior executives in negotiated entries and exits, discrimination claims and high-value employment litigation.
‘We wanted to make a real difference in the high-level claimant space,’ co-founder Shazia Khan tells Spear’s. ‘We saw a real gap in the market.’
Her client base spans a wide range of sectors including finance, healthcare, legal and professional services. ‘Typically they reach out to us when there’s something going on in the workplace that needs very quick, responsive action,’ she explains.
Read Shazia Khan’s full profile on Spears500.com
James Townsend
- Focus: PLC-listed execs
- Position: Partner, head of employment
- Firm: Payne Hicks Beach
- Rank: Recommended
James Townsend is a partner and head of employment law at Payne Hicks Beach.
He has a broad practice, with particular expertise in discrimination claims and complex statutory and contractual employment disputes.
Given the firm’s strong private wealth focus, Townsend frequently advises clients on matters that span both their personal and commercial interests. ‘Wealthy individuals often hold their interests through corporate vehicles,’ he tells Spear’s. ‘I act for senior executives, business owners and entrepreneurs.’
His client roster has included members of royal families, media moguls and international family offices.
Read James Townsend’s full profile on Spears500.com
David Smellie
- Focus: Hedge funds, executives and high-profile clients
- Position: Partner
- Firm: Farrer
- Rank: Top Recommended
CEOs of listed companies, private equity investors and high-profile individuals facing interest from the press seek Farrer partner David Smellie’s wealth of expertise in complex employment-related matters.
Smellie advises on the entire employment life cycle, from contracts and misconduct allegations to exit agreements and renumeration; he has particular expertise in the latter. It is not unusual for his clients to have trusteeships at schools, and Smellie provides safeguarding advice for educational institutions that are going through a crisis.
He says clients appreciate not just his legal sharpness and leading insight, but also his level-headedness during times of crisis. ‘If someone has done something wrong or if someone is in a tricky situation, the worst thing you can do is give them false hope,’ he tells Spear’s.
Read David Smellie’s full profile on Spears500.com
Marian Derham
- Focus: Senior executives
- Position: Partner
- Firm: Harbottle & Lewis
- Rank: Recommended
‘I joined [Harbottle & Lewis] at 24 and was determined to be a corporate lawyer,’ Marian Derham recalls. While working in that area of law in the 1980s and 90s, she increasingly found herself handling employment matters, and became the firm’s go-to expert, ultimately establishing its dedicated employment practice.
Today, the partner uses her four decades of experience to advise C-suite executives, HNW individuals, family offices and high-profile celebrities. She specialises in negotiated entries and exits, which often involve unusually sensitive arrangements. ‘It’s not a typical employment contract,’ she explains. ‘Contracts have to be very solid and detailed, with an emphasis on confidentiality.
Read Marian Derham’s full profile on Spears500.com
Daniel Naftalin
- Focus: Financial services
- Position: Managing partner
- Firm: Mishcon de Reya
- Rank: Top recommended
Over his long career, Daniel Naftalin, named Mishcon de Reya managing partner in early 2026, has advised everyone from FTSE 100 firms, global conglomerates and HNWs to supermodels and football managers on a range of employment matters.
It’s a diverse clientele, but, as he puts it, ‘variety is the spice of life’.
Naftalin covers both litigious and non-litigious issues, such as restrictive covenants, team transfers and contentious exits – including disputes in the High Court and employment tribunals – as well as recruitment and compliance.
Formerly chair of the firm’s employment department, Naftalin tells Spear’s that clients come to Mishcon because ‘they know we can provide the cross-jurisdictional or multidisciplinary service they need’. As a result, he has built a loyal client base. ‘I’ve got some that I’ve just sort of grown up with, and I’ve acted for them on a number of different employments,’ he says.
Read Daniel Naftalin’s full profile on Spears500.com
Corinne Aldridge
- Focus: Employment disputes
- Position: Partner, head of employment law
- Firm: Kingsley Napley
- Rank: Top Recommended
Corrine Aldridge is head of Kingsley Napley’s dynamic employment law team, advising a diverse range of clients, including employers and employees from the financial and professional services sectors, and family offices.
Aldridge is equipped to advise on the full range of employment-related issues, from contracts and exit strategies to investigations and misconduct allegations, with a particular specialism in equal opportunities matters. She also excels in team moves (acting for team members, the prospective new employer or the existing employer), post-termination restrictions and grievances, and whistleblowing and contract claims.
Read Corinne Aldridge’s full profile on Spears500.com
The best employment lawyers: the complete list
Click on the individual names to be directed to more detailed profiles of each adviser on The Spear’s 500 website. The table is ordered by ranking and then alphabetically by surname.
Contact us
- Click here to order a print copy of The Spear’s 500.
- To apply for inclusion in The Spear’s 500, complete our submission form.
- For further information about rankings, please email research@spearswms.com; we aim to respond to all queries within two working days.
- For commercial enquiries and questions relating to enhanced profiles, please contact Commercial Director Shady Elkholy: shady.elkholy@spearswms.com
- To keep up to date with the Spear’s 500, subscribe to our magazine, newsletter and follow Spear’s on LinkedIn and Instagram.
- If you have missed calendar deadlines for our research cycles in 2025, you can still register your interest for updates about upcoming research and rankings.
