Sara Sawicki

Expertise

Sara is highly skilled on strategic employment matters; large-scale redundancies, TUPE transfers, changes to terms and conditions and complex employment tribunal claims.

Sara has practiced for almost 20 years and has therefore advised on most areas of employment law, from the regular day to day HR queries to the most complex 30 day tribunal claim involving a myriad of discrimination claims. Clients feel secure in the knowledge that nothing fazes her. Sara has undertaken numerous mini secondments for clients for the purposes of developing and delivering strategies in relation to key employment law issues and she frequently presents advice to the Board/Senior Leadership team of client organisations.

Sara also has experience of acting on behalf of employees, largely at board level, and Sara has featured as a leading individual in the North West in both Legal 500 and Chambers directories since 2006.

Sara Advises

• Large, FTSE 100, 250, blue chip businesses and SMEs
• Education providers
• Public sector organisations
• Board members of large corporate entities
• Retail, support services, manufacturing and leisure

Publications

• The Government’s wage transparency tool: what is it, and how could you best use it?

Experience Highlights

• Advising on a number of large scale collective redundancy exercises affecting 1000s of employees, and preparing “redundancy packs” to assist HR and Line Managers in the process;
• Advising on numerous potentially sensitive dismissals, including senior board executives; head teachers; trade union officials; repeat tribunal claimants;
• Advising on the application (or not) of TUPE to outsourcing contracts; preparing and negotiating the TUPE warranties and indemnities in the commercial contracts;
• Advising on the threat of industrial action in the context of failed pay bargaining;
• Advising on changing terms and conditions, which have not been agreed by the recognised trade union;
• Extensive litigation experience on a variety of claims including unfair and constructive dismissal, sex, race and disability discrimination, equal pay and whistle-blowing;
• Negotiating settlement packages on behalf of senior individuals;
• Advising on the enforceability of restrictive covenants, and providing strategies for enforcing/defending such covenants.

Career History

Previous Law Firms

• Partner, Employment, Pinsent Masons LLP (1998 – 2013)
• Solicitor, Employment, Eversheds LLP (1994-1998)

Education

• York University BA (Hons) Economics
• The College of Law Chester – Common Professional Examination; The Law Society’s Final Exam