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Employment law is at the heart of Lewis Silkin's practice, with over 250 lawyers spread across nine offices. As the firm's largest practice area by headcount, it offers an incredibly perse and dynamic environment for trainees to learn, grow, and get stuck into cutting-edge legal work.
Getting Started
Joining such a large and multifaceted team is a great way to start your training contract at the firm. With so many specialisms under the employment law umbrella, it's worth taking the time early on to understand the team's structure and who focuses on what. Your supervisor will be your go-to guide, helping you navigate the team and identify areas that spark your interest.
What makes the seat stand out?
One of the best things about an Employment seat is its flexibility. You'll have the chance to explore a wide range of work, giving you the freedom to discover what you genuinely enjoy and where your strengths lie, whether that's advisory, contentious, or investigation work.
Advisory Work
By engaging in advisory work, you will build a strong foundation in the core practice of employment law. You will support our lawyers by researching and drafting client-facing advice across a wide spectrum of issues, including dismissals, discrimination, worker status, workplace policies, redundancies, trade union matters, and contractual questions.
You will also gain exposure to our unique, flexible advisory service options for clients, including our low-cost, fixed-fee service, Rockhopper, and the recently launched Delphius – our AI-powered companion to global employment law for in-house legal and HR teams.
You can expect to be involved in drafting various contractual documents, from employment contracts to settlement agreements. In addition, there may be opportunities to participate in mediations, which will offer valuable exposure to client interaction.
Employment Tribunal Litigation
An Employment seat with an advisory focus is likely to involve some work with Tribunal claims, whether Lewis Silkin is representing a Claimant, or more typically acting for the Respondent.
This can involve attending hearings in person or virtually, or working on without prejudice negotiations involving Tribunal claims a Claimant has issued or intends to issue. The cases range from small-scale unfair dismissal claims all the way to large claims disputing worker status, such as the landmark Deliveroo case.
Tribunal litigation is a great way to experience lots of different areas of employment law, and could bring you into contact with other practice groups within the firm, like the Data, Privacy and Cyber team. It's also a fascinating insight into the dynamics of employment relationships, and is an area of employment law where interesting political changes can be immediately relevant.
High Court Litigation
For those interested in more complex litigation, Lewis Silkin's specialist High Court team handles cases involving team moves, breaches of post-termination restrictions, and other high-stakes employment disputes.
Trainees in this team work on fast-paced, often high-profile matters — such as the firm's nomination for LexisNexis' Case of the Year for its work on Nissan Motor (GB) Ltd v Passi. Even if you're not seated in the High Court team, there may be opportunities to get involved in these cases from a general employment seat.
Investigations
Another exciting area within the employment practice is investigations. Lewis Silkin is regularly appointed as an external investigator into sensitive workplace issues, including bullying, harassment, discrimination, and systemic concerns.
As a trainee, you'll support the process by:
- Attending interviews and taking notes
- Managing documentation and evidence
- Drafting sections of the final investigation report
Recent examples include the firm's investigation into allegations of racism at the Barbican and the high profile investigations into Gregg Wallace and Russell Brand.
What skills will you need?
A seat in employment will require our trainees to have and develop a wide range of skills including:
- Collaboration and learning agility – Work closely with associates, partners and clients across contrasting sectors, picking up new processes quickly in a fast-paced environment
- Attention to detail –Trainees regularly proofread a range of employment documents and help with disclosure reviews which require a keen eye for detail
- Time management – You'll juggle contentious and non-contentious matters, and will be working to tribunal and Court deadlines, so finetuning your organisational skills will be essential from day one
- Commercial awareness – Think broadly about the client's sector and tailor advice to their specific commercial and strategic needs
- Research – Trainees often complete research tasks to support client work and supporting our Knowledge Lawyers with materials for Know-how
- Issue-spotting – Apply critical thinking, by identifying evidential gaps in tribunal claims for example
Final Thoughts
An employment seat at Lewis Silkin offers a rich and varied experience, with opportunities to work on everything from day-to-day advisory matters to landmark litigation and high-profile investigations. It's a chance to explore different areas, build your skills, and contribute meaningfully to work that shapes workplaces and lives.
We won of 'Employment Team of the Year' at the Chambers UK Awards 2025, so rest assured that you will be working with a team who specialise in delivering excellence in client service and outstanding legal work.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
