Paul Griffin

Head of Employment - Europe, Middle East and Asia
Norton Rose Fulbright LLP

London
United Kingdom
T:+44 20 7444 2169
London
United Kingdom
T:+44 20 7444 2169
Paul Griffin

Paul Griffin

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Biography

Paul Griffin is an employment lawyer based in London, where he is head of employment and labour for Europe, Middle East and Asia. He has extensive experience in all areas of employment and labour law including employment litigation both in a domestic and international setting.

Paul's practice has a particular focus on international employment and labour law issues, advising multinationals, governments and principalities on strategic HR issues affecting their global workforces.

He also has many technology clients (particularly from the US) and acts for a variety of businesses investing in the UK for the first time. He also has a keen interest in AI and the future of work and has lectured many times on the issue.

Paul is particularly well known in the finance sector as a result of the work he has undertaken representing leading financial institutions (HSBC, BNP, Société Générale, Lloyds Group, RBC) and leading discussion forums for the world's largest banks on strategically important employment and labour law issues and also his work with the British Bankers' Association. He also works very closely with the practice's corporate insurance team and regularly advises leading players in the insurance sector on employment issues. 

Paul advises many clients in the transport sector (especially the shipping sector) and he has regularly advised a Formula 1 racing team in relation to its employment issues.

He has a particular interest in boardroom disputes, restrictive covenant disputes, whistleblowing, discrimination, TUPE, outsourcing and data protection.

Paul has defended employees in the employment tribunals, High Court, County Court, Employment Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. He is also a qualified mediator (CEDR).

Paul is a highly rated practitioner in both Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500.

Professional experience

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  • Solicitor, qualified in England & Wales

Recent experience includes:

  • Leading a team which successfully defended an international household name in respect of a high profile UK employment tribunal case brought by 2,400 employees alleging a failure to consult with a potential liability for the client of many millions of pounds and also leading a team defending a £28m discrimination claim brought against a leading financial institution.
  • Leading a team redesigning the labour law system of a Middle Eastern jurisdiction and drafting the laws to support the necessary changes. This was a first for the practice (having redesigned a nation's labour law system previously without drafting the implementing laws) and makes him one of a handful of lawyers globally to have undertaken such a task.

Ranked in Chambers and Partners and The Legal 500

Paul is described as "solutions focused", "highly reactive to fast moving situations" and "canny and commercial".

He is also listed in the various international legal directories one of which describes him as a "thought leader" and a "leader in his field".

Paul's work has been widely published and includes:

  • co-authoring A Practitioners Guide to Individual Conduct and Accountability in Financial Services Firms
  • contributing a chapter in PLC on race discrimination
  • contributing a chapter in Lexis Nexis on behaviour guidelines at work

In addition Paul has had a number of articles published by various employment law journals including Personnel Today, Croners, People Management and he has also been quoted in The Financial Times, The Times, The Independent and the Sunday Telegraph.

Paul undertakes regular speaking engagements on a wide range of employment and labour law issues, and engagements include Employment Lawyers' Association, the British Bankers' Association, Global HR News (Silicon Valley). Paul has also been interviewed by John Humphrys on Radio 4's Today programme (a leading UK news and current affairs programme) and on BBC News 24, Sky and CNN.

City of London Law Society Employment Law Committee (since 2009); former Secretary to the Committee for three years

Senior City HR Committee

Employment Lawyers Association

European Employment Lawyers' Association

Global Forum of Cross-Border HR Experts

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