Lewis Silkin has today announced the promotion of seven new partners from across its Employment and Corporate practice groups.
Francesca Ainsworth has more than a decade of experience working with clients across corporate advisory and transactional work, supporting ideas and people led businesses through corporate milestones (early stages, shareholder exits, fundraising, incentives and private M&A). She regularly advises clients across the creative and digital sectors, with a particular focus on interactive entertainment, advertising and marketing, publishing and retail. Francesca is a member of Lewis Silkin's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion group, and is a core member of the firm's creative, tech and science initiative, The Collective. She has also very recently returned to work following parental leave.
Laetitia Cooke specialises in supporting senior executives, with a particular focus on acting for those in financial services. As an experienced litigator, Laetitia frequently acts in complex, high value and sensitive employment cases. She has played a leading role in some of the most important senior executive matters in the City, often involving significant regulatory and reputational issues. She is ranked in both Legal 500 (Leading Associate) and Chambers and Partners (Star Associate).
Amy Nevins was included in The Lawyer's Hot 100 list for 2025. She launched and leads the firm's award winning global mobility offering following nearly a decade working on UK and international employment and workforce projects. Amy's global mobility expertise encompasses leading and advising on C-suite and VIP relocations, advising on multi-jurisdiction and cross border working arrangements, undertaking workforce audits to identify unknown expatriates and unidentified labour leasing, assisting clients with their entry into the UK and expansion into other overseas markets, and ensuring immigration compliance for clients globally including obtaining visas and required work permits.
Gemma Taylor is a specialist employment knowledge lawyer with over 25 years' experience, including advising on technical areas of employment law and employment law developments, as well as developing products and services to support employment law and compliance. Gemma returns to the partnership after 20 years and will be the firm's first knowledge lawyer to become a partner.
James Walters trained and qualified at Lewis Silkin and has been solving people issues for UK and international businesses for almost 20 years. He is known for providing pragmatic, results-focussed employment advice, resolving complex employee relations issues and handling business critical employment tribunal litigation. James' client base includes household name brand owners and businesses in sport, broadcast media, the performing arts, retail, hospitality, consumer goods, renewable energy and technology. His strong focus is sport, where he works with clients including Premier League football clubs, Premiership rugby clubs, a national sport governing body and an international motorsport championship.
Rachel Ward joined Lewis Silkin as a paralegal, completed her training contract at the firm and subsequently qualified into the employment team. With over a decade of experience advising clients on a broad range of people-related matters, she has particular expertise in employment litigation, often involving complex and high-value discrimination and whistleblowing claims. Rachel has a keen interest in social mobility within the legal profession and helps to manage Lewis Silkin's Ellen and Nikki scholarship scheme, offering financial and mentoring support to those law students who will benefit from it the most.
Carla Watling also joined Lewis Silkin as a paralegal, and now specialises in litigation involving employee competition, and on advising businesses in relation to the supply of labour and recruitment regulation. Her commercial employment litigation experience includes acting in arbitration and reported litigation (including on an expedited basis), and on matters involving protecting confidential information and trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and the hiring or departure of senior executives including teams. Carla was named by Chambers & Partners as a 2025 Associate to Watch.
Lucy Lewis, Chair of Lewis Silkin, commented:
"I am thrilled to welcome these seven exceptional colleagues to the partnership. Each of them is a true expert in their respective fields, and together they showcase the incredible array of talent we have at the firm. I am looking forward to continuing to work with all of them and wish them every success in the next stage of their careers."
The promotions take effect as of 1st April and bring the total number of partners at Lewis Silkin to 97 across its offices in London, Manchester, Leeds, Oxford, Cardiff, Dublin, Belfast and Hong Kong.