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George Nicholson

Partner
About

George is a Partner in the Employment Team in DLA Piper’s North West office with over 10 years’ experience of advising on employment law issues.

George advises national and international clients on all aspects of employment law including employee disputes, executive issues, international change projects, discrimination, industrial relations and group reorganisations.

George has represented a range of clients including financial institutions and leading international businesses in the employment tribunal, employment appeals tribunal and county court. George's significant litigation experience ranges from routine dismissal and deduction claims to complex discrimination, whistleblowing and breach of contract litigation as well as high profile group actions in relation to holiday pay and trade union laws.

George has advised extensively on national and global change programmes, including complex legal, practical and ER considerations on proposed redundancies and changes to employee terms (including pension changes) and other policy and employee compliance projects. George has also been involved in advising on strike injunctions and industrial action.

George has specific expertise in conducting employee investigations into whistleblowing, discrimination, harassment and equal pay allegations. He also has particular experience in in the Financial Services sector, advising clients on European and UK financial regulations including Capital Rights Directives and the Senior Manager Certification Regime.

George has also advised extensively on data issues in the employment context including in respect of GDPR, data breaches and subject access requests. He also has specific expertise advising publicly funded organisations and the specific employment issues for such bodies. .

George regularly provides training to clients and presents at employment law seminars.

Areas of FocusEmployment
Professional QualificationsSolicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales

EXPERIENCE

  • Advising well-known public body and successfully defending it against high-profile and complex claims for discrimination, harassment, victimisation and whistleblowing detriment.
  • 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 on the summary termination of a CEO in a UK main market listed business.
  • Advising financial institution on compliance with new financial regulations, including the implementation of European Capital Rights Directive obligations to cap bonuses, provide for clawback mechanisms and to comply with variable remuneration requirements including to amend contracts and other incentive and policy documents across Europe.
  • 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 leading media business on employment measures arising from COVID-19 including implementing pay reductions, changes to terms and reorganisations involving moves to homeworking.
  • Advising number of public and private organisations on investigations regarding discrimination, harassment, equal pay and alleged serious misconduct.
  • Advising large 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, its obligations under pensions and employment regulations and the process for appointing and consulting with representatives including to provide training to employee representatives.
  • Advising high profile public 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.
Education
  • London School of Economics & Political Science, BSc (Hons), Management Degree
  • BPP Manchester GDL and Legal Practice Course, date of admission: 1 September 2010

Awards

George is recognised in Legal 500’s 2021 guide as a ‘rising star’ and has been notified he is to be ranked in the forthcoming Chambers guide for 2021. The Legal 500 client comments are as follows:
  • “George Nicholson has the ability to apply his wide knowledge and experience in a way that creates confidence in the stakeholders that he works with. He is able to adapt his style to suit organisational culture and maintain a practical approach to problem-solving without prejudicing the robustness of his underlying advice.”
  • “We appreciate George Nicholson’s understanding of our business and ability to provide appropriate advice.”

Seminars

George regularly presents at DLA Piper client seminars including recent sessions on sexual harassment and SMCR. George has also delivered training to national and international clients on areas such as discrimination, employment litigation and employment implications of Brexit.

Prior Experience

  • 2015 - date: DLA Piper, Senior Associate
  • 2010 - 2015: DLA Piper, Associate
  • 2008 - 2010: DLA Piper, Trainee Solicitor
  • 2003 - 2005: Account Executive, Zurich Financial Services

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