Chris Bushnell

Expertise

Chris is a specialist employment lawyer. He advises employers and employees on employment law issues, helping to avoid or solve problems at work. Chris’ focus is on understanding what your aims are and what is most important to you, and then working with you to develop a strategy that is suited to your aims and the situation.

Chris’ work includes dealing with redundancies / restructuring, unfair dismissal, breach of contract, discrimination, whistleblowing, restrictive covenants and transfer of undertakings (TUPE). He often negotiates compensation packages and settlement agreements on termination of employment.

His work covers the spectrum of the employment relationship from start to finish. For example, he advises on employment contracts, policies and staff handbooks, grievances and other workplace problems and termination and post-termination issues.
Chris also acts for clients bringing and defending employment related claims in the Employment Tribunal, Employment Appeal Tribunal and High Court.

Chris Advises

• Employees
• Senior Executives
• SMEs and owner managed businesses
• Large corporates
• HR Directors

Experience Highlights

Unlike many employment lawyers, Chris works for both businesses and individuals.  He finds that this is extremely helpful in maintaining perspectives and being better able to anticipate how the other party may react to a situation.  It therefore brings big strategic and tactical advantages to all of his clients.

Work for Individuals

• Helped and advised many people in relation to grievances and/or termination of employment and negotiated favourable settlement packages, for example people who have been:
• placed at risk of redundancy or told that their role was redundant, often in circumstances where the redundancy had not been carried out fairly or where there was not a genuine redundancy situation
• bullied or mistreated by their manager or others at work, often leading to the individual being unwell due to stress and anxiety
• dismissed or have suffered detriment as a result of raising concerns about things happening at work
• discriminated against on grounds such as gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability and age
• dismissed, had their roles changed or faced other discrimination during or on their return from maternity leave or other family related leave.
• Helped employees to solve issues that they were facing at work, such as relating to flexible working, salary issues or changes made to their roles.
• Reviewed and advised on employment contracts, consultancy agreements and post-termination restrictions (restrictive covenants).
• Brought Employment Tribunal claims on behalf of individuals or assisted individuals with their Employment Tribunal claims, usually resulting in a favourable settlement of the claim.

Work for Businesses

• Advised employers on various disciplinary, performance and sickness issues, grievances, and other employee-relations issues, focussing on achieving commercial objectives whilst reducing legal risks.
• Advised on employment contracts, consultancy agreements, staff handbooks and similar issues, including creating a suite of policies, template letters, flow charts and guidance for managers for a large employer.
• Advised on a large scale reorganisation of the UK wide sales team of a pharmaceutical company.
• Drafted and negotiated settlement agreements, including in large redundancy exercises.
• Successfully defended and/or settled multiple Employment Tribunal claims, including:
• a global engineering and construction company facing a claim by a senior employee of disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments
• a multinational hotel chain facing a complex whistle-blowing, unfair dismissal and breach of contract claim by a member of the Senior Management Team.

Career History

Previous Law Firms

• Charles Russell Speechlys LLP / Speechly Bircham LLP 

Education

• The College of Law – Legal practice Course, Distinction
• University of Manchester – Law LLB, First