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- Tasks: Lead and develop investigations and advisory departments, ensuring legal and cultural insights are integrated.
- Company: Join Howlett Brown, a pioneering people intelligence company focused on ethical workplaces.
- Benefits: Enjoy hybrid working, competitive pay, and a supportive team culture.
- Other info: Flexible benefits tailored to your needs and a focus on wellbeing.
- Why this job: Shape the future of workplace ethics while mentoring a dynamic team.
- Qualifications: UK legal qualification and 5-8+ years in employment law required.
The predicted salary is between 70000 - 90000 ÂŁ per year.
We are growing and looking for an ambitious, curious, dynamic and technically skilled person to join our team as Senior Employment Lawyer / Head of Employment Law, an experienced professional in law and leadership who combines deep expertise in UK employment law and investigations with a sophisticated understanding of workplace culture, people dynamics, and the legal risk landscape that sits beneath organisational behaviour.
This role requires someone who can bring together the technical rigour of legal practice, the human‑centred understanding of how cultures form and fail, and the agility and pace required in a client‑facing consultancy environment. As Senior Employment Lawyer / Head of Employment Law, you will have strategic and operational oversight of Howlett Brown’s Investigations and Advisory departments, ensuring all work is legally robust, culturally aware, ethically grounded, high‑quality and commercially practical.
You will supervise complex matters end‑to‑end, provide astute legal judgement, and support clients navigating intricate intersections between law, behaviour, culture, risk and organisational governance while managing a team that is eager to learn and develop.
Who We Are
We are a people intelligence company. We support organisations to build environments where integrity, inclusion, innovation and purpose thrive and where people risk remains low.
- Investigations Advisory (legal, HR, employee relations, governance, culture)
- Culture & Sustainability
- DEEI (diversity, equity, equality & inclusion)
- Training, Coaching & Facilitation
- Connected Communications
We are the first people intelligence company in the UK regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.
Role Overview
The Senior Employment Lawyer / Head of Employment Law will serve as the senior legal leadership figure for the Investigations and Advisory functions. This role combines:
- Legal oversight and supervision
- Investigation oversight
- Employment law, HR and ER expertise
- Cultural and behavioural intelligence
You will ensure all work delivered by both teams reflects a deep understanding of how organisational culture influences risk, how behaviours manifest in workplaces, and how legal obligations intersect with cultural systems.
You will:
- Provide legal supervision across investigations and advisory matters
- Oversee numerous complex matters simultaneously
- Interact and liaise with clients and their needs, emerging and immediate in relation to investigations and advisory
- Identify and mitigate legal, cultural, reputational and regulatory risks
- Own matters end‑to‑end and provide practical, strategic legal direction
- Support clients in understanding and addressing the root causes of issues, not just the symptoms
- Manage and guide a growing team, mentoring junior staff through the next phase of their development
- Collaborate with senior leaders to facilitate growth and support business development
This is a role for someone who can confidently navigate legal issues in context, understanding not just the law, but the cultural, behavioural and systemic conditions in which issues arise.
Leadership & Departmental Responsibilities
The successful candidate will:
- Strategic Leadership
- Lead and develop both the Investigations and Advisory departments, ensuring seamless integration of legal, cultural, and risk‑based perspectives
- Drive and complete strategic plans as well as adapt in ways that reflect evolving legal requirements, emerging workplace culture trends, and organisational risk dynamics
- Contribute to company‑wide leadership, strategy, risk discussions and governance
- Work in partnership with leadership and internal stakeholders on business development and marketing initiatives
Team Leadership & Legal Supervision
- Supervise, mentor and develop legal, investigations and advisory professionals
- Provide legal oversight on investigation plans, evidence analysis, findings, recommendations and quality assurance processes – ensuring cultural dynamics and legal risk are fully integrated into the investigative approach
- Ensure advisory outputs account for legal risk, cultural drivers, organisational behaviour patterns, and systemic risks while remaining legally sound
- Build a high‑performing, multidisciplinary team that understands both the legal and cultural dimensions of workplace risk
Cross‑Functional Collaboration
- Collaborate with senior leaders across all HB service lines to scope commercial opportunities and deliver multidisciplinary, culturally informed, legally robust solutions
- Support the evolution of an integrated people‑risk offering for clients
Matter Responsibilities
The Senior Employment Lawyer will take ownership of, supervise and/or deliver:
- Complex Investigations
- Oversee and advise on investigations involving discrimination, harassment, bullying, conduct and behaviour issues, whistleblowing and protected disclosures, ethics, compliance and governance breaches, safeguarding concerns
- Ensure all investigations consider cultural context, systemic patterns and behavioural drivers alongside legal standards
- Provide legal input on investigation strategy, procedural fairness, evidential analysis, risk assessment and recommendation framing
- Ensure all work meets legal, regulatory, SRA and internal standards
Advisory, HR & Employee Relations Legal Advice
- Provide cross‑disciplinary advice that merges organisational culture insights, operational and commercial realities
- Advise clients on complex ER matters, workplace disputes and conflict, systemic cultural issues and people‑risk, governance and compliance, international HR and legal risk, privacy and data protection in HR/investigations
- Understand how cultural issues manifest legally – helping clients address both the presenting legal risk and the underlying cultural causes
- Identify emerging risks across legal, cultural and behavioural domains
- Support clients in building cultures that reduce legal exposure and improve ethical practice
- Promote sustainable risk mitigation strategies grounded in culture, leadership, systems and policy
Quality Assurance
- Oversee quality assurance and consistency across both service lines
- Develop and maintain frameworks that embed legal, cultural and risk awareness into all deliverables
Experience & Expertise Required
- UK Legal Qualification (Solicitor or Barrister) – essential (employment law specific)
- 5–8+ years PQE in employment law with experience within investigations, ER and workplace advisory
- Private practice or in‑house experience (both are desirable)
- Strong experience supervising and advising on complex investigations
- Deep understanding of how workplace culture, behaviour, leadership dynamics and systems influence legal risk
- Proven ability to manage complex cases and workload
- Proven skill to integrate cultural insight into legal analysis and investigation strategy
- Significant experience delivering advice to senior stakeholders in high‑risk or sensitive matters
- Demonstrated ability to manage multiple matters end‑to‑end
- Experience managing or mentoring multidisciplinary teams
- The ability to translate legal obligations into practical, culturally informed recommendations
- Strong commercial mindset and a drive to support the growth of a unique business
What We Offer
- The opportunity to lead two impactful departments and shape the future of ethical workplaces
- A supportive, curious and mission‑driven team
- Hybrid and flexible working arrangements
- Autonomy, influence and the chance to innovate
- Competitive compensation and benefits
What We Offer You (Howlett Brown Benefits)
At Howlett Brown, we care deeply about every colleague’s success and wellbeing. You will have access to:
- Hybrid working (Mon & Wed in office, one other office day, two remote days)
- Start date: As soon as possible
- A wide range of learning opportunities
- Wellbeing and lifestyle benefits
- Flexible benefits tailored to your needs
Senior Employment Lawyer employer: Howlett Brown
Contact Detail:
Howlett Brown Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Employment Lawyer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the legal field. Attend industry events, join relevant online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out to potential colleagues on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings!
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company culture and values. Since we’re all about integrity and inclusion, think about how your experiences align with these principles. Be ready to share examples that showcase your understanding of workplace dynamics and legal risk.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! When you get the chance to meet someone from the company, whether it’s at an event or through a referral, have a concise and compelling introduction ready. Highlight your unique skills in employment law and how you can contribute to their mission.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows you’re genuinely interested in joining our team and contributing to a culture where innovation and purpose thrive.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Employment Lawyer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Expertise: Make sure to highlight your deep understanding of UK employment law and investigations. We want to see how your technical skills align with the role, so don’t hold back on showcasing your experience!
Cultural Insight is Key: This role isn’t just about the law; it’s about understanding workplace culture too. Share examples of how you’ve navigated cultural dynamics in your previous roles, as this will really resonate with us.
Tailor Your Application: Don’t send a generic application! Take the time to tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect the specific requirements of the Senior Employment Lawyer position. We love seeing candidates who put in the effort to connect their experiences with our needs.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity. Plus, it shows you’re keen to join our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Howlett Brown
✨Know Your Employment Law Inside Out
Make sure you brush up on your UK employment law knowledge, especially around investigations and workplace culture. Be ready to discuss recent cases or changes in legislation that could impact the role, as this will show your technical expertise and curiosity.
✨Demonstrate Cultural Awareness
Prepare examples of how you've navigated complex workplace dynamics in previous roles. Highlight your understanding of how culture influences legal risk and be ready to discuss strategies for fostering a positive workplace environment.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Senior Employment Lawyer, you'll need to lead a team. Be prepared to share your experiences in mentoring and developing others, and how you've successfully managed multidisciplinary teams in high-pressure situations.
✨Engage with Real-World Scenarios
Think of specific case studies or scenarios where you've had to provide legal advice or oversee investigations. Discuss how you approached these situations, the outcomes, and what you learned from them to demonstrate your practical, strategic thinking.