George Nicholson

• Successfully defending well-known public body against high-profile and complex claims for discrimination, harassment, victimisation and whistleblowing detriment.
• Advising a number of organisations including regulated financial businesses on complex employee investigations regarding discrimination, sexual harassment, equal pay, whistleblowing and alleged serious non-financial misconduct as well as communications with the FCA.
• Advising major airline with the successful defence of a high profile section 145B (collective bargaining) claim brought by 100+ claimants supported by two trade unions.
• Advising international manufacturing and tech client with a major international change programme in respect of proposed changes to terms and conditions in the UK and 50+ countries.
• Advising a range of leading businesses on whistleblowing obligations, policies and 'Speak Up' arrangements across Europe and internationally, including for compliance with the EU Whistleblower Directive and CSRD/CSDDD.
• Advising on senior executive issues, including the summary termination of a CEO in a UK main market listed business.
• Advising financial institutions and other regulated businesses on compliance with financial regulations, including SMCR and the implementation of European CRD obligations regarding bonuses, clawback mechanisms and variable remuneration requirements across Europe.
• Advised an international business on successfully enforcing restrictive covenants against an ex-employee who set up in competition.
• Advising leading media business on employment measures arising from Covid-19 including implementing pay reductions, changes to terms and reorganisations involving moves to homeworking.
• Advising high profile body in relation to the Employment aspects an alleged data breach including in relation to potential civil court action to recover data and correspondence with the ICO.
• Advising major UK plc on a significant multi-jurisdictional transaction in relation to the sale of a global business division which involved legal and strategic Employment input including to deliver coordinated information and consultation advice for jurisdictions in Europe and internationally.
• Advising global engineering group on the employment aspects of a project to close DB schemes to future accrual. George advised extensively on the client's existing consultation arrangements, the contractual status of pensions terms (including various ex-public sector terms), the implication of collective bargaining arrangements on the proposed offer to members, industrial relations issues, as well as consultation obligations and providing training to employee representatives.

George is recognised in Legal 500’s 2026 guide as a Next Generation Partner and is also ranked in Chamber 2025. In Legal 500 2026 clients describe George as:   

• 'George Nicholson is a true strategic partner and we consider him - and many of his colleagues - to be an extension of our in-house legal function.'
• 'George offers pragmatic and commercial advice which cuts straight to the nub of the issue, communicated in a way that requires no distillation for our internal clients. Always available and happy to help, we could not ask for a better partner.'