Rachel Crofts

Solicitor Apprentice

Experience

I am currently a second-year Solicitor Apprentice in the Employment department. During my apprenticeship I have completed seats in the Finance team and Risk and Compliance team. During my placements, I have worked on the firms accounts and with the Debt Recovery team, as well as the Client Onboarding team within the Risk team.

Prior to joining Bates Wells in 2025, I completed work experience at Clifford Chance, Ashurst and Broadfield. I have worked with various Animal Rescue charities overseas.

Areas of Expertise

When AI becomes a management tool: what are the employment law implications?

AI is fast becoming embedded in day-to-day people management. Employers are experimenting with algorithmic tools to shortlist candidates, score interviews, allocate shifts, forecast demand, monitor productivity, flag performance issues, support redundancy exercises and even trigger investigations and dismissal processes. Whilst in recent years, the adoption and integration of AI has been concentrated in large tech …

Fixed-term contracts: when does expiry mean redundancy?

Fixed-term contracts are a familiar part of workforce planning. They can be useful when an employer needs cover for a project, a temporary funding stream, maternity leave, or a defined piece of work with a clear end point. But their apparent simplicity can be misleading. When a fixed-term contract reaches its end date and is …

People and Workplace round-up | 17 September

Welcome to our 5-minute round-up of people and workplace updates, hand-picked to help HR teams. Catch up on: EAT clarifies material factor defence in equal pay dispute: market-driven warehouse pay can be justified HR teams should take note of fresh guidance from the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) on how to frame and evidence market-related pay …

Webinar | The duty to make reasonable adjustments as both an employer and a qualification body | 7 October 2026

Many professional bodies are in the unique position of being both employers and qualification bodies under the Equality Act 2010. This means that they need to comply with the duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals both as employers of their own staff and as qualification bodies conferring professional qualifications. In this webinar, we …

When is the right to be accompanied triggered? Reflections from Wolfe v Taka Mayfair Ltd

The Employment Appeal Tribunal (“EAT”) has handed down an important decision on the statutory right to be accompanied at disciplinary and grievance hearings. In Wolfe v Taka Mayfair Ltd [2026] EAT 106, the EAT confirmed that an employee cannot bring a claim for breach of section 10 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 (“the Act”) …

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