International Employment Lawyers in the UK

McAllister Olivarius can help you fight unfair treatment in the workplace, no matter how complex or high-profile the matter. 

Our legal team have won groundbreaking awards against powerful institutions on behalf of clients from all backgrounds and walks of life. Whether you are a senior executive, partner or entry-level employee, our UK employment lawyers can help you solve the most challenging workplace disputes. 

Our experience

With offices in the UK and US, McAllister Olivarius covers a full range of employment-related disputes, from sexual harassment and unequal pay to discrimination or unfair dismissal. We regularly advise on complex cases across all sectors, with expertise in financial services, big tech, high-end retail, higher education, manufacturing, airlines, healthcare and law. 

We are particularly experienced in working on matters that involve both US and UK legal questions. For example, we have represented people employed in one jurisdiction who were harassed while on secondment in the other. We have advised American companies expanding into the UK on employment rights which differ considerably between England and the US.

Employment Law in the UK

Employment law in the UK covers a range of areas, from contracts and working hours to equal pay and grievance procedures. Our employment lawyers can advise you on a full range of UK employment matters, including:

● Discrimination

● Harassment and Bullying

● Unfair and Constructive Dismissal

● Whistleblowing and Victimisation/ Retaliation

● Equal Pay

Discrimination

To visit our discrimination page, click here.

As a worker you are protected under the Equality Act 2010 from being discriminated against on the grounds of a protected characteristic.  

The “protected characteristics” under the Act are: 

• Age 
• Disability 
• Gender reassignment 
• Marriage and civil partnership 
• Pregnancy and maternity 
• Race 
• Religion and belief 
• Sex 
• Sexual orientation 

Under the Act people are not allowed to discriminate, harass or victimise another person because they have any of the protected characteristics. This applies to you whether you are an employee, self-employed, working through an agency, a company director, a partner of a firm or on secondment. The protection applies to all stages in the employment process including recruitment, promotion, retirement, selection for redundancy and dismissal.

If you think you may have suffered discrimination at work, it is important that you seek prompt legal advice. For a confidential discussion of your legal options, contact us on +44 (0) 20 3048 5959, or fill out our contact form. 

Harassment and Bullying

To visit our bullying and harassment page, click here.

We work to ensure that everyone can enjoy a safe work environment, free from harassment. If you do suffer harassment, we can present the evidence to your employer and try to achieve a private settlement, or bring a public case. Both approaches can improve employer behaviour and achieve compensation for our client.   

We have represented multiple female executives, working in tech companies, facing harassment and discrimination from an all-male leadership team, generally for expressing an alternative perspective, requesting equal pay or for filling a position that they would prefer to give to a man.

Successful examples of the recent work by our London employment lawyers to defend against harassment include: 

• Reaching a substantial settlement for a financial services client against his employer in a Protection from Harassment Act claim, relating to repeated acts of physical and psychological bullying in the workplace and off-site.
• Achieving a settlement for racial harassment and race discrimination claim on behalf of an ethnic minority executive working in the creative arts.
• Acting on behalf of two undergraduates in a high-profile claim against the University of Warwick for discriminatory treatment in its handling of a complaint about sexual harassment by male students arising from comments in a private WhatsApp chat.
• Representing Dr Emma Chapman in a sexual harassment and discrimination claim against UCL for incidents during her PhD supervision. Breaking new ground, the claim secured a settlement without UCL’s usual non-disclosure clause; and led the university to announce a policy of prohibiting the use of NDAs in its future settlements.

If you think you may have suffered harassment or bullying at work, it is important that you seek prompt legal advice. For a confidential discussion of your legal options, contact us on +44 (0) 20 3048 5959, or fill out our contact form. 

Unfair Dismissal

To visit our unfair dismissal page, click here.

 If you feel you have been unfairly dismissed, suffered procedural unfairness or have been forced to resign, our lawyers may be able to help. It is a good idea to get legal advice before filing any complaint, but you must do so promptly as by enduring bad conduct you may be deemed to have accepted it. For a confidential discussion of your legal options, contact us on +44 (0) 20 3048 5959, or fill out our contact form. 

Whistleblowing and Victimisation

To visit our whistleblowing and victimisation page click here.

Our employment lawyers have represented people who have been punished for complaining about discrimination and other forms of illegal conduct both in the US and UK. Employers are often hostile to people who report discrimination or other misconduct, so if you are considering doing this, you should seek legal advice as soon as possible, preferably before acting. For a confidential discussion of your legal options, contact us on +44 (0) 20 3048 5959, or fill out our contact form.

Equal Pay

To learn more about the laws on Equal Pay click here.

We have extensive experience handling discrimination and equal pay cases. We can provide advice on your options if you think you may have received different pay or conditions of employment based on your sex or other protected characteristics. 

We can help you build the strongest case before you negotiate with your employer or take it to a tribunal. Many clients prefer private settlements, but we can also litigate publicly to secure justice and compensation. For a confidential discussion of your legal options, contact us on +44 (0) 20 3048 5959, or fill out our contact form.