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We are a team of more than 500 professionals, with the depth of experience which makes us genuine experts in our fields. Together, gunnercooke’s people have strength across just about every corporate discipline and sector. We provide legal, commercial and strategic advice that delivers real value to the clients we work with, which span from multinational enterprises through to unicorns and non-for-profit organisations. Our breadth of expertise covers some of the most interesting and important emerging disciplines, from ESG and charity law, to blockchain and competition.
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International Offices
gunnercooke has 12 offices globally including the UK, Scotland, US, Germany and CEE, with further plans for growth in the coming years. These offices enhance the existing in-house capability of our dedicated international teams and dual-qualified experts that cover China and Hong Kong, Spain, France, Italy, Brazil and Portugal. Our team has experience working across 101 different countries, speaking 30 languages and are dual-qualified in 15 jurisdictions. Our expertise means we can offer large teams to carry out complex cross-border matters for major international clients.
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Our story
gunnercooke is the fastest growing corporate law firm in the UK, now making its mark globally. We comprise a rapidly growing number of experts spanning legal and other disciplines. Clients benefit from flexible options on fees to suit their needs, access to a wider network of senior experts throughout the relationship, and legal advice which is complemented by an understanding of the commercial aspects of running a business.
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HR teams face constant pressures in recruiting the best talent, developing staff, and optimising senior management and employee relations. Where HR teams hire foreign workers, the challenge is heightened due to regular changes to immigration law, compliance requirements and matching organisational skills to the sponsor licence held by the business. Similar issues are faced by educational institutions such as universities, colleges and academies where student visas bring in candidates to learn new skills and obtain degree level classification.
In both situations, if the turnover in foreign workers/students is high, engaging legal support for each new candidate can be costly over time. Once a sponsor licence is granted, there are vital compliance requirements that need to be met and maintained. If notfollowed, this can result in large fines, revocation of licence and damage to the business’ reputation.
One way we are helping our clients tackle this issue is training delivered through a combination of on-site visits, induction videos and ongoing advice and support. This training gives HR and student admission teams the understanding of what rules need to be addressed and what staff and student requirements need to be met to facilitate work and study in the UK.
Some of these issues are:
- documentation required to employ people from the European Union versus other countries
- Employment law versus Immigration law
- What are right to work rules and checks
- Gain understanding of Settled Status due to Brexit and other factors relating to Brexit
- Understand sponsor licence and visa requirements and different visa categories
- Ensure employer or institution compliance and avoid penalties
- when to call-in legal support
- Employee termination
- Using Home Office online system
The role of HR and admission teams has indeed increased, but with proper training and support, HR teams will get a grasp of immigration issues and deliver support that not only benefits foreign workers and student, but also financially beneficial to your organisation.
