Few areas of legal practice have developed as rapidly as employment law. Important and contentious legislation has been, and will continue to be, introduced both at EU level and by the UK Government. The growth of the flexible labour market, globalisation, and the advance of e-commerce present fundamental challenges for employers and employees alike, the Human Rights Act will also continue to have an impact on industrial relations.

Members of Matrix are particularly well-placed to meet these challenges and the rapid expansion of our caseload is testimony to the fact that this is recognised in the marketplace. We have a track record of presenting cases in every conceivable forum, from the Employment Tribunal, and all levels of the High Court, to the European Court of Justice and the Court of Human Rights. These include cases with a European dimension (such as equal pay, working time, transfer of undertakings), discrimination law, commercial employment law (restraint of trade, the law of confidence, executive terminations and bonus/share option disputes), individual employment protection, data protection, trade union and collective labour law (industrial action, statutory recognition and Rule book disputes), and free movement of workers under Article 39 (formerly Article 48) of the Treaty of Rome.

Many of our cases are at the cutting edge of employment law but we also regularly undertake the more routine work. Our expertise extends to advice and representation at the Central Arbitration Committee, internal disciplinary hearings, and before professional disciplinary bodies. We are ranked as a leading set in employment law in both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 and many of our members are individually recommended.

Particular strengths of the Matrix employment law team include:

- We represent a full range of clients and are aware of the perspectives of both sides of the industrial fence across various sectors of the economy.  We appear for applicants and claimants and are instructed by the statutory equality commissions and the trade unions, but a number of our members are also Treasury Counsel for whom the government is an important client. We also work for a wide variety of employers and for employers’ associations, as well as for local authorities and for city institutions in high-value disputes.

- We are committed to being user-friendly and accessible, and providing a prompt, good quality service at competitive rates.

- Matrix members bring other areas of expertise to bear on our employment cases; many of us have valuable expertise in other fields such as EU, commercial, public, human rights, media and international law. We also have the advantage of academic members who bring a wider perspective, either through advisory work and advocacy in their own right or through forming part of a litigation team.

- We are active in the employment law community, with strong links with the Bar Pro Bono Unit and ELAAS. Our members are frequently invited to speak at conferences and training events and we write regularly on employment law issues.

We have a track record of presenting cases in every forum, from the Employment Tribunal, and all levels of the High Court, to the European Court of Justice and the Court of Human Rights.

These include cases with a European dimension (such as equal pay, working time, transfer of undertakings), discrimination law, commercial employment law (restraint of trade, the law of confidence, executive terminations and bonus/share option disputes), individual employment protection, data protection, trade union and collective labour law (industrial action, statutory recognition and Rule book disputes), and free movement of workers under Article 39 (formerly Article 48) of the Treaty of Rome.

Group coordinator: Thomas Linden QC