Matthew Lewis Partner

Matthew Lewis is the head of our Employment practice based in our Leeds office. Matthew trained and qualified as a trade union lawyer and has the unusual experience of both Claimant and Respondent work. Matthew previously worked in our London office, moving to Leeds in 2004.

Matthew is experienced in all areas of employment law, both individual (in respect of claims raised by employees) and collective consultation and union issues. Matthew has a real depth of experience and appreciates the commercial reality in which businesses operate:  Legal 500 identify Matthew for his “commercial minded” advice.

Matthew has appeared on BBC Radio 4 “Today” programme and Radio 5 “Wake up to Money” and his articles have appeared in the Yorkshire Business Insider Magazine.  He has also conducted webinars and seminars on topics such as: “Managing performance of older employees” and “Can you be fired for Facebook”.

Matthew Lewis discussing key issues from the Retail Debate:

• VIDEO - Employee: Discussing the importance of looking after your employee 
• VIDEO - Debate: Discussing the key points which were raised at the Retail Debate
• VIDEO - Consumer: Discussing the importance of the consumer in retail
• VIDEO - Communications: Discussing the importance of communications within the retail sector

Representative Experience

• Advising on industrial action and strike action to minimise disruption and whether it is permissible to use agency staff to cover striking workers.
• Steering collective redundancy processes on the closure/relocation of business and large scale restructurings.
• Dealing with allegations of soliciting staff, breach of confidentiality by ex-employees and obtaining appropriate safeguards and resolution.
• Project managing a pan-European integration exercise across six different jurisdictions.
• Advising in respect of a claim of 300+ “workers” (rather than employees) to a redundancy payment and obtaining a favourable outcome in respect of employment status.
• Advising in the context of TUPE whether union recognition transfers and the desire not to recognise the existing union. Other complex TUPE issues.