Kate Hurn

I am an employment lawyer in our International HR Services Group based in London. I have a broad range of experience across contentious and non-contentious employment matters and act for clients operating across a number of sectors. With substantial in-house experience, I offer clients practical and commercial advice.

I advise on all aspects of the employment relationship; from hiring at the outset and day to day personnel management right through to the often challenging issues that arise when the relationship comes to an end. I have extensive experience in advising clients on large-scale business organisations, which often involves close work with my colleagues across the Bird & Bird network to co-ordinate and provide seamless multi-jurisdictional advice. Whilst on secondment to a global financial institution I advised on cross-jurisdictional projects, grievance and disciplinary matters and general HR advisory queries. I have broad experience of drafting service agreements and policy documents and negotiating settlement agreements.

I have acted for a range of clients in Employment Tribunal proceedings, including unfair dismissal, discrimination and high value whistleblowing claims, and regularly advise on the employment aspects of cross-border corporate transactions.

For me, understanding how employee issues fit into the context of the wider business is often key to working out how best to resolve them and being able to offer tailored and practical advice.

• Global life sciences organisation: acting as UK counsel and responsible for project management of legal aspects of a global re-organisation, working alongside employment lawyers across our global network.
• Global manufacturing company: advising on employment related aspects of a large scale business reorganisation following an acquisition including advice on a transfer of undertaking, a collective redundancy process and negotiating settlement agreements.
• Global security company: acting as trusted employment adviser on a wide range of HR issues including disciplinary and performance management cases and Employment Tribunal litigation.