At a time of major changes in employment law, seeking sound legal advice has taken on a new level of importance. As we continue our profiles of the teams that made the shortlists for this year’s Personnel Today Awards, here are those that made the cut in the Employment Law Firm of the Year category.
Birketts
Birketts’ employment team of nearly 50 specialists advises employers across the South East, London, East Anglia and the South West on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law. Its sector-focused approach ensures advice reflects regulatory and market-specific needs, while its tools and services aim to support HR teams throughout the employment lifecycle.
Innovations include the Birketts Employment App, launched in 2022, which provides employment law updates, webinar access and practical tools such as a redundancy calculator. Birketts Resolve offers workplace investigations, mediation and HR consultancy, supporting employers in managing disputes and organisational change.
Through Shaping Excellence, the team delivers employment law training for managers and HR teams, providing courses to over 2,000 delegates in the past year. Birketts BOSS, an online portal for retainer clients, offers over 150 template documents and guidance notes for day-to-day HR operations.
The team engages with clients through regular updates, seminars and roundtables, including a recent discussion on labour cost pressures following the Budget. Research into employment tribunal experiences has informed practical strategies and attracted interest from policymakers.
Recent successes include challenging strike notices at a manufacturing site, preventing operational shutdown, and implementing a bulk COT3 agreement process to help clients manage redundancies cost-effectively.
Birketts combines legal expertise with practical tools, research and training to help employers manage risk, resolve workplace issues and achieve their business objectives.
Boyes Turner
In October 2024, a new duty under the Equality Act 2010 required UK employers to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment, including by third parties. This posed heightened risks for sectors such as leisure and hospitality, where employees regularly interact with customers and contractors. Boyes Turner’s employment team, comprising 19 legal specialists with experience in employment law and equality, diversity and inclusion, identified that many employers in these sectors were underprepared and lacked a clear understanding of the new requirements.
To address this, the team developed the Reasonable Steps Roadmap, a multi-layered support package. It included a lawyer-led Red Flag Risk Assessment, offering a detailed analysis of workplace risks and tailored recommendations, supported by legally robust reports suitable for regulatory or tribunal purposes. The package also provided tiered training for boards, managers, and employees, focusing on legal duties, reporting mechanisms, bystander engagement and psychological safety. Policy review and development ensured alignment between HR processes, legal obligations, and culture goals.
The roadmap was integrated into the firm’s broader EDI Compass programme, which also covers pay gap reporting, equality audits and ED&I strategy development. Early indications suggest strong engagement, with employers commissioning assessments and training across their organisations. Initial feedback points to increased awareness, confidence in reporting, and early cultural shifts, including employees disclosing previously unreported incidents, indicating progress in fostering safer, more inclusive workplaces.
Constantine Law
This boutique law firm has been marking its tenth anniversary this year. It has doubled turnover in two years, from £3m to £6m, and now comprises 27 lawyers, including 20 employment specialists. Its expansion includes a regulatory team and a newly formed business immigration team, enhancing its multi-disciplinary offering for employers.
Operating predominantly through a consultancy fee-share model, the firm prioritises direct partner-client relationships, enabling instructions to be opened and progressed rapidly. Its lean structure, without traditional office overheads, allows for competitive pricing compared to larger firms, alongside flexible options such as retainer services and banked hours. Investment in cloud-based technology supports remote working and efficient service delivery.
Constantine Law’s work spans senior executives, lawyers and major employers in sectors including financial services, construction, logistics and care. It has acted in high-profile matters such as a Court of Appeal case on employment status with implications for the gig economy, complex High Court injunctive relief cases, significant whistleblowing and equal pay claims, and sensitive regulatory and employment investigations.
The firm also delivers webinars, podcasts and thought leadership, contributing to debates on workplace law. Recognised in legal directories, it maintains strong staff retention through flexible working and a collaborative culture, positioning itself as a growing and agile alternative to traditional employment law firms.
HCR Law
HCR Law’s employment team, comprising more than 30 specialist lawyers across the UK, provides integrated, pragmatic support to employers across multiple sectors. Acting as an extension of clients’ HR teams, the firm delivers tactical and commercially focused advice to long-standing clients such as Pertemps, Mizuno, Ecclesiastical, Mitsubishi and Laithwaites.
The firm has developed initiatives to address the evolving challenges facing HR leaders. Its Future Workspaces programme involved surveying HR professionals and employees nationwide on post-pandemic workplace changes, exploring themes such as cultural resistance, adaptation and growth. This led to the Future Workspaces Conference in February 2025, featuring speakers from Microsoft, KPMG and other organisations, and addressing topics including AI, hybrid working, employee retention and mental health.
HCR Flex, another key offering, provides clients with flexible access to legal and HR support through discounted packages tailored to operational and strategic needs. This is underpinned by collaboration with Eagle HR, the firm’s sister organisation, which offers additional HR expertise for complex project work.
The firm also delivers bespoke training, employment law surgeries and breakfast seminars across its 10 offices, alongside collaborative events with organisations such as CIPD, Hays and Reed. Its team has extensive experience managing sensitive workplace disputes, disciplinary proceedings and complex litigation, aiming for swift, commercially aligned resolutions.
HCR Law positions itself as a trusted partner for employers, combining legal expertise with proactive, people-focused support.
Irwin Mitchell
Irwin Mitchell’s employment team comprises more than 70 solicitors and paralegals, offering national coverage and expertise across complex workplace issues. The team advises on a range of sensitive matters, with a particular focus on navigating disputes arising from conflicting employee beliefs. It has supported employers in maintaining neutrality and managing workplace culture in areas such as the sex and gender debate, providing policy advice, senior leadership training and commentary on key legal decisions, including the Supreme Court’s ruling in For Women Scotland. This work has positioned the firm as a trusted voice for organisations such as Retail Bulletin and inclusion community WiHTL, with widely read content and strong media engagement.
The team has also developed training and resources to help employers prepare for new duties, including the October 2024 requirement to prevent sexual harassment and forthcoming third-party harassment legislation. This includes staff and manager-focused training modules, risk assessment tools and cost-effective compliance solutions for sectors such as hospitality.
In anticipation of changes under the Employment Rights Bill, Irwin Mitchell has produced online training for line managers, providing plain-English guidance on day-one unfair dismissal rights and related workplace risks. The firm continues to support sector-specific clients, including the Association of Colleges, and provides tailored advice to international HR directors. Its newsletters and HR-focused podcast attract high engagement, helping employers stay informed and compliant with evolving employment law.
Stephens Scown
This firm’s employment team operates across litigation, corporate support and employer support, with a strong focus on employee-centred advice. As an employee-owned and certified B Corp firm, it prioritises ethical HR, helping clients implement people practices that support engagement and align with organisational values. This approach is central to its service, appealing to purpose-driven businesses and charities seeking to balance legal compliance with positive workplace culture.
One of its unique offerings is its HRExpress (HRE) service, an insurance-backed support package providing cost-effective, legally privileged employment law advice. It serves a diverse client base, from SMEs to national charities, with long-standing users including Age UK and Cats Protection. HRE can be tailored to include immigration and regulatory advice, making it particularly valuable to sectors such as health and social care.
The team’s commitment to ethical HR extends beyond client work. It hosts confidential roundtable events for senior HR professionals, providing a space to explore practical and values-led approaches to challenging workplace issues. This complements its support on complex whistleblowing and discrimination litigation, high-value corporate transactions, and day-to-day HR matters.
Alongside its fee-paying work, the team delivers pro-bono support through the Employment Tribunal Litigants in Person scheme and offers free legal advice to charities and community interest companies, underlining its commitment to using legal expertise for wider social good.
Tozers
Tozers’ employment team supports employers across sectors, including housing, hospitality, charities, local authorities and leisure. It provides both day-to-day advice and representation in complex employment disputes, including tribunal claims, where it handles matters from initial instruction through to advocacy at final hearings.
A key part of its offering is EASY, a fixed-fee retainer that provides direct, unlimited access to solicitors without the need for a triage system. Clients value its combination of fast, commercially focused advice and independent guidance not constrained by insurance arrangements. The team complements this with monthly catch-ups for some clients to address emerging issues and tailored training sessions to support HR teams in managing workplace challenges effectively.
To support growth without compromising quality, the team has introduced regular workload reviews, a lead-and-support model for complex casework, and systems to ensure continuity during absences. These measures enhance responsiveness, maintain consistency, and provide a resilient framework for managing client needs.
The team’s approach has led to strong retention, with many HR professionals continuing to work with Tozers when moving to new organisations. The EASY model has inspired similar services for local councils, broadening its reach nationally. Ongoing service reviews, client feedback and trials of new technologies ensure continued improvement.
By combining accessible advice with robust representation and sector-specific insight, the team helps organisations resolve issues early, strengthen processes and manage risk effectively.
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