Nicola Rabson

Nicola is a very well-known figure in the employment world, with significant experience across the breadth of employment law.

Nicola frequently advises clients on their most challenging and sensitive employment and HR related issues, as well as advising clients on their strategic initiatives such as those relating to diversity and inclusion and workplace culture. She is a solutions-focused and strategic adviser who will challenge clients and peers to deliver the right results.

She tackles the most complex of employment litigation and advice, with extensive experience of High Court and Tribunal litigation. In addition to her extensive litigation experience, Nicola advises her clients on crisis management, the employment aspects of purchases, related hirings, executive terminations, restrictive covenants and team moves, as well as managing large global projects in relation to redundancies, compensation reviews and the employment aspects of regulatory investigations.

She is also a frequent speaker and commentator on employment issues with a particular interest in diversity and inclusion, whistleblowing and workplace culture. Nicola is a CEDR accredited mediator.

Nicola’s work highlights include:

• advising a FTSE company on lawfully hiring a team for its new business arm and providing strategic advice and written documentation
• advising a whistleblowers champion (a Chair) on an investigation into allegations of bullying of a board member including looking at grievances from multiple employees and allegations of sexual harassment
• advising a large fund on the departure of its leading fund manager
• advising a large private equity house on the departure of a senior executive and defending an application to the court for declaratory relief and speedy trial
• representing Commerzbank AG on the bonus litigation brought against the bank by 104 ex-Dresdner Kleinwort bankers
• advising a global bank on a high value whistleblowing claim which was brought against them, where witnesses involved numerous board members
• advising The Carlyle Group on all the complex employment aspects of its acquisition of Integrated Dental Holdings (“IDH”) from Bank of America Merrill Lynch Capital Partners, and simultaneous merger of IDH with Associated Dental Practices in partnership with private equity firm Palamon Capital Partners
• advising a large bank on an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment of a senior director. Nicola led the investigation on behalf of the bank, advising on strategy, recommendations and management of next steps
• Leading the firm’s team acting pro-bono in the case of whistleblowing Dr Kevin Beatt against Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, for which Nicola was identified as “Lawyer of the Week” by The Times. 

Nicola is a CEDR accredited mediator. Her experience and skills as a mediator add a unique and valuable perspective to her strategic advice to clients on contentious matters.