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Paul Fontes

Partner
Office Location Head

Paul Fontes advises employers on all aspects of employment law and has been recognized as a leading employment lawyer for many years. 

He has particular experience in advising clients on complex projects and high-value litigation in the financial institutions, professional services, TMT, and real estate sectors. Paul is a Partner in our Employment, Labor and Pensions practice and Head of the Employment team in London.

Paul has considerable experience in conducting proceedings in the Employment Tribunals and the High Court, and regularly defends high-value and commercially sensitive claims on behalf of employers. He also advises on and conducts investigations into allegations of misconduct, discrimination, bullying and harassment often with regulatory implications. 

In addition to his contentious work, Paul advises on non-contentious issues such as incentive plans and remuneration structures, business reorganizations and redundancies, executive appointments and terminations, and the employment law aspects of corporate transactions. He regularly advises on and coordinates multijurisdictional projects.

He advises a number of FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 companies, major professional services firms, regulatory bodies, investment banks, asset managers, hedge funds, brokers, and other city institutions.

In addition to advising on employment matters, Paul advises partnerships and LLPs on issues such as partner appointments and exits, restrictive covenants and team moves, discrimination, and other partnership disputes.

Paul is recognized as a leading employment lawyer by the independent guides to the legal profession.    Legal 500 quotes a source as saying: "Paul Fontes is superb. Not showy or bombastic – just quietly gets on with beating the other side. On top of the detail, great with clients, great with counsel and really smart – also a great drafter of documents." Chambers quotes sources as saying that "he brings a very personal touch to his work ... I know everything is in good hands with him" and that "he is able to set out what the law requires but he helps you work within the commercial realities, ensuring you meet your business needs and mitigate risks."

Paul's experience includes:

  • defending a $100m+ claim in one of the UK's largest ever team move cases involving the transfer of more than 25 employees between rival insurance brokers
  • acting for one of the leading firms of inter-dealer brokers in obtaining an interim injunction in the DIFC courts to prevent a broker from joining a competitor in breach of contract
  • conducting investigations on behalf of one of the UK's largest banks into allegations of bullying, harassment and discrimination by senior managers
  • advising a UK bank on the defense of claims for whistleblowing and discrimination brought by its former CEO
  • advising a number of FTSE 100 companies on the appointment and termination of executive directors 
  • advising numerous financial institutions on compliance with the senior managers and Certification Regime, including delivering training to senior managers and advising on conduct rule breaches
  • advising financial institutions on the introduction of new incentive plans and compliance with the PRA/FCA's remuneration codes
  • conducting investigations on behalf of a major professional services firm and a global media company into allegations of misconduct and discrimination
  • advising a number of major real estate companies on restructurings, including compliance with collective consultation obligations
  • advising a leading telecoms company on a global restructuring of part of its business

Paul is the co-editor of the leading textbook for employment lawyers and HR professionals on the UK regulatory regime in financial services — Eversheds Sutherland: The Employment Practitioner's Guide to Financial Institutions published by Bloomsbury.

He has written and lectured on a wide range of employment law topics, including TUPE, restrictive covenants and confidential information, discrimination, and the use of mediation to resolve employment disputes. Paul has spoken at events organized by the Financial News, the City HR Association, LexisNexis, City & Financial and the CIPD, and has been published or quoted by The Times, Thomson Reuters, Bloomberg, The Lawyer and LegalWeek.

 

  • Ranked in Chambers Global 2018, 2019, 2022
  • Ranked in Chambers UK 2018, 2019, 2022
  • Member, Employment Lawyers' Association
  • Member, City HR Association
  • Member, Association of Partnership Practitioners 
  • Legal Practice Course, Chester College of Law 1993-1994 (Distinction)
  • Common Professional Examination, Chester College of Law 1992-1993 (Commendation)
  • BA (Hons) Modern History, Oxford University, 1988-1991
Paul Fontes

Partner

Office Location Head

Paul Fontes

Partner

Office Location Head

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