Martin Chitty

Martin Chitty helps clients to understand the balance between where they want to be as an employer, how to get there, how much it might cost and how quickly it can be done. Part of this is about understanding employment law issues, but far more is about taking those issues, forming them in to a pragmatic solution, and getting the job done.

Martin tends to get involved in change – whether it is about recruiting from competitors, stopping people leaving and taking information, insourcing, outsourcing and workforce change programmes, or redundancy. All of these need that combination of up-to-date legal knowledge and a clear ability to balance the issues clients face. All require taking the legal framework and using it to drive a practical course of action.

Martin is well known, vastly experienced and puts complex issues in to simple and direct language. His approach is always, "What would I do if it was my money?"

Helping clients to get from where they are to where they want to be with the minimum of employment-related cost and delay is what Martin is all about. That might mean advice on union negotiations, helping clients to reconfigure their workforce, or to resolve a dispute. To do this you need to know the law, but use it to help the client. Martin gives clear and pragmatic advice and does not sit on the fence with what he thinks. Who wants to read an essay? What clients want is trusted advice.

Highlights

Winning a claim where his employer client faced a multi-million pound annual bill for fringe benefits after a merger.

Finding a way to avoid pension debt crystallisation on an intra-group TUPE transfer by getting the employees to opt out.

Many many cases where Martin and his team managed to stop former employees damaging clients' businesses.

Clients

The widest range -banks, builders, makers of things, professional services, charities, schools, health service providers, care homes, social providers, private equity houses here there and everywhere.