Executives

We’ll back you with commercial advice and robust negotiation.

We’re known for advising senior executives and high net worth individuals from a wide range of industries, especially financial services.

We’re not just experts in employment law, we’re experts in employers. We know how they think and operate, because we work with them every day. So, we understand which negotiating strategies to use to get you the outcome you really want.

How we can help

We can advise you on every aspect of your work or pay, from workplace disputes and disciplinary issues to discrimination and unfair dismissal claims – including:

  • Bonuses, shares, share options and long-term incentives
  • Claims after resignation or dismissal – including constructive dismissal, unfair and wrongful dismissal and discrimination
  • Contracts and executive service agreements
  • Disciplinary issues and grievances, including harassment and bullying
  • Employee benefits (what you’re entitled to and how it affects your taxes)
  • FCA regulation
  • Maternity, paternity and parental leave and flexible working
  • Migrant workers (particularly if your leave to remain depends on you having a job)
  • Partnership rights and issues
  • Post termination restrictions, compromise and confidentiality agreements, garden leave, termination payments and other sensitive issues around termination
  • Team moves
  • Whistleblowing and public interest issues.

“The Bates Wells team have well-developed skills in understanding the issues facing us, and are able to articulate the options available and any legal risks they pose with pragmatic guidance on implementation.”

Executives, Chambers 2024

‘The team has high expertise and treats clients with empathy.’

Executives, Legal 500 2024
Meet our team
You May Also Be Interested In

Right to Work checks are changing – is your organisation ready? Download our checklist

From 1 October 2026, the Right to Work (RtW) regime expands beyond traditional employment to include worker contracts, individual sub contractors, and online matching services. This critical shift means civil penalties of up to £60,000 per illegal worker may extend beyond the direct employer and, in some circumstances, up the supply chain. The new provisions …
Read more

Webinar | Practical implications of the new EHRC Services Code for qualification bodies | 23 September 2026

The new Equality and Human Rights Commission ‘Code of Practice for Services, Public Functions and Associations’ has important implications for qualification bodies, particularly those managing people, policies and workplace environments across multiple sites and assessment settings. We’ll break down what the For Women Scotland judgment and the new Code does, and does not, change for …
Read more

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 …
Read more

UK right to work regime expands on 1 October 2026: what businesses should do now

From 1 October 2026, the Right to Work (RtW) regime expands beyond traditional employment to include worker contracts, individual sub‑contractors, and online matching services. This critical shift means civil penalties of up to £60,000 per illegal worker may extend beyond the direct employer and, in some circumstances, up the supply chain. To reduce this risk, …
Read more

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”) …
Read more