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Emma Humphreys

Partner
Emma Humphreys

Emma is a Partner in the Employment, Labor and Pensions Group and a member of our specialist Labor team. 

Emma is one of the firm’s leading collective labor law and industrial relations lawyers. She has extensive experience in helping companies with difficult labor relations issues and resolving collective disputes. She acts for a range of clients in various sectors, with particular experience of the transport sector.

She frequently provides strategic advice to assist clients in reshaping their union relationships and navigating difficult change projects, often in the context of a complex industrial relations environment.

Emma has advised on some of the most high-profile labor disputes in recent years and has particular expertise in challenging and mitigating industrial action and protests. She has substantial High Court litigation experience, having acted on various interim injunctions challenging the lawfulness of industrial action (representing clients in a number of reported cases). Her litigation experience also extends to the Employment Tribunal where she has dealt with claims in respect of a variety of issues since she qualified in 2013 including unfair dismissal, discrimination and whistleblowing; now focusing on claims which have a collective labor or trade union angle (e.g. blacklisting, trade union detriment etc). Her contentious/non-contentious workload is split approximately 50:50.

Emma’s role goes beyond her expert legal advice on complex areas of law, but also includes helping employers with union negotiations; staff engagement; managing stakeholder relations; and assisting clients to develop their industrial relations strategy. 

Her recent experience includes supporting clients with various modernisation projects involving complex advice on the contractual status of proposals, the strategy to be deployed and legal requirements, as well as advising on long-standing industrial action and legal challenges. She also provides practical support in dealing with representatives and communications with staff, providing advice to clients on the impact of s.145B (the law prohibiting unlawful inducements to circumvent collective bargaining) and the Supreme Court decision in Kostal. This has included reviewing existing collective bargaining arrangements to support clients in future negotiations and supporting clients with union recognition matters.

Emma is an accomplished public speaker and regularly speaks at industry events and on behalf of the Employment Lawyers' Association, as well as delivering training to clients on employment/labor law and hosting thought-leadership dinners on key developments in labor law.

Chambers 2023: Up & Coming

"Emma is an unflappable lawyer who assists us with industrial relations advice."

"Her expertise and responsiveness on labour law issues in the UK is very much appreciated. She provides critical support for our organisation."

"She deals with complex employment matters and is particularly strong in the field of industrial actions."

Legal 500 2023: Recommended

We recommend Emma Humphreys and Marc Meryon.”

Emma Humphreys – a stand-out individual in terms of industrial relations issues placed in a business context.”

Emma Humphreys provides considered solutions on a range of matters that have enabled us to progress issues pragmatically.

Nominee - Female Rising Star - law.com, 2022

  • nurturing of the next generation of Eversheds Sutherland talent. Emma has shared responsibilities for delivering the firm-wide Empower (junior development) programme, including its strategy for cross-practice group sessions, assisting with the development of specific courses as well as course delivery
  • sponsor for Eversheds Sutherland’s career sponsorship programme (focusing on development of female and ethnic minority individuals within the firm)
  • supporting employee networks. Emma is an ally of Perspective  (Eversheds Sutherland’s LGBT+ and supporters employee network) and Verve (Eversheds Sutherland’s ethnicity employee network)
  • Championing Corporate Responsibility. Prior to moving to London, Emma played a key role in the firm’s Corporate Responsibility initiatives as CR Manager for the Leeds office. In this role she has co-ordinated many regional and national fundraisers with the firm, as well as taking part in fundraising activities herself
  • leading role on the Employment Transport Sector group. Emma drives co-ordination and business development activities on employment initiatives for the Transport Sector
  • hosting and chairing a thought-leadership dinners
  • published in PLC Magazine
Emma Humphreys
Emma Humphreys

Partner

Emma Humphreys
Emma Humphreys

Partner

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