Employment law advice for company directors or senior executives
Our employment lawyers are on hand to advise you whenever you need help or guidance.
Employment advice tailored to your position.
Our experts understand the unique employment issues you'll face as a director or senior executive. And we're here to help.
As a company director or senior executive, your terms of employment may be different to those of your junior colleagues. Your position will often include a variety of benefits, with a large proportion of your remuneration often delivered in the form of short term and long term incentive plans (STIPs and LTIPs), which may include share options or significant cash bonuses.
You will also be subject to various provisions in your contract or service agreement that can significantly impact or restrict your activities and entitlements, should you leave the business. These may include, for instance, extensive garden leave provisions, wide-ranging post-termination restrictions, and notice provisions that seek to limit what you will be paid on termination of employment.
In addition, you will often be subject to aspects of Company law, which may require particular attention to be paid to your terms and conditions.
These special circumstances merit expert attention. Our employment lawyers are on hand to advise you whenever you need help or guidance. In particular, we add real value and protect your interests at two key times: when you join, and when you leave.
Acting for senior executives across the technology, financial services and sports sectors, RWK Goodman is recognised for its work on complex employment disputes.
Caroline Doran Millett focuses her practice on negotiating exit packages for senior employees, often in regulated sectors. Experienced litigator Catherine Hawkes represents clients in whistleblowing and discrimination claims, and is particularly proficient in cases involving neurodiversity. David Israel leads the London team, with expertise in the leisure and hospitality sectors.
Caroline Doran Millett is a partner at RWK Goodman who advises a range of senior executives on complex matters including whistle-blowing, discrimination, unfair dismissal, victimisation and sexual harassment claims. She is known for her understanding of the financial services sector.
‘I found that team is incredibly thorough and patient with all my questions and concerns. They were also very careful and attentive to details to ensure that all eventualities were take care of.’
‘Caroline Doran Millett is incredibly thorough, helpful, and patient with all my questions and concerns. She has always been very careful and attentive to details to ensure that all eventualities were taken care of. She always maintained a calm demeanor which was incredibly helpful, particularly whenever I was stressed on an particular point.’
"Caroline provides highly valued advice, not just a legal perspective, and is a strong advocate for her clients."
"She is commercially aware, highly astute, clearly very experienced in her field and also extremely personable and able to communicate clearly and concisely."
Meet your team of experts
The end of the cap: are senior executives ready for the change?
From January 2027, the removal of the unfair dismissal compensation cap will transform exit negotiations for senior executives and high earners.
The Employment Rights Act has long offered employees recourse against unfair dismissal with a clear statutory cap on potential compensation. From 1 January 2027, one of its most significant constraints disappears: the statutory cap on compensatory awards for ordinary unfair dismissal will be removed.
The current cap is the lower of 52 weeks’ gross pay or £123,543 (from 6 April 2026). This ceiling applies regardless of an employee’s actual financial loss and has long been a disincentive for senior executives pursuing unfair dismissal claims unless those claims could also be framed as discrimination, whistleblowing, or another uncapped cause of action.
How to negotiate your settlement agreement, for Directors and Senior Executives.
Termination negotiations are a complex area of employment law, we know how to get them right.
Termination negotiation is the process of discussing and agreeing on the terms and conditions of an employee’s departure from their job. This can take place for a variety of reasons, including redundancy, performance issues, misconduct, or a breakdown in working relations.
UK law sets out certain minimum requirements that employers must meet. For example, employers must give or pay a contractual or statutory period of notice before terminating their employment, and they must pay employees any statutory redundancy pay to which they are entitled.
How to constructively manage a bonus dispute at work.
Bonus disputes can be complex and highly contentious area of employment law. Our expert employment solicitors explain how to manage a bonus dispute at work.
A bonus dispute is a disagreement between an employee and their employer about the payment of a bonus, and they can arise for a variety of reasons.
In the UK, bonus disputes are governed by employment law and if an employee believes that they are entitled to a bonus but the employer has refused to pay it, the employee may be able to claim for breach of contract. If an employee believes that the amount of bonus that they have been awarded is unfair, they may be able to claim for unfair discrimination.
What to do if you are accused of sexual harassment at work.
An accusation of sexual harassment is a serious allegation. Even if you believe that the sexual harassment allegation is untrue or fabricated you must treat it as being of the upmost importance.
If an accusation of sexual harassment by a colleague is upheld against you, then it is will probably be, at the very least, considered to be misconduct. Usually if an allegation of harassment is upheld it will be considered to be “gross misconduct”, which will allow the employer to terminate you immediately without any notice (and without any other financial compensation).
It is important to carefully consider the allegations made before you make any comments which could be taken out of context or be considered to be an inadvertent admission of guilt.
Contact Settlement agreement Lawyers.
If your employer has offered you a settlement agreement, it is vital that you take advice from an experienced employment lawyer.
The settlement process is not easy. So, we’re with you at every stage to ensure you receive the expert support and advice you need.
Are you being properly financially compensated? Protecting your reputation? Do you have the ability to further your career after you leave?
Read more from around RWK Goodman
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Get the right contract when taking up a new role
Taking detailed advice on your new service agreement can pay dividends. For example, we can:
- help you negotiate more beneficial terms and conditions, including highlighting any unfair or overly restrictive obligations
- review and advise on proposed bonus terms
- advise on the benefits of removing or revising unfair ‘payment in lieu of notice’ terms
- advise on the extent of any garden leave and post-termination restrictions, with a view to renegotiating where required, such as carving-out existing client relationships.
Proven record in maximising severance packages
If you are considering an exit, our expert employment lawyers can advise you and develop a strategy on how to approach the business to put you in the best position. Similarly, if you have been offered a settlement agreement, or if you have already been dismissed, our expert employment lawyers are on hand to advise on how to protect your interests and, where possible, negotiate a favourable settlement.
For instance, we can:
- advise you on your contractual entitlements such as notice pay, benefits and pension, to ensure you are not losing out
- advise you, often in conjunction with our Corporate team, on matters such as shares and share options
- negotiate often significant increases in any ex gratia payments to reflect potential claims such as unfair dismissal, whistleblowing or discrimination
- negotiate on restrictions so that you are better placed to take up new employment as soon as possible, maximising the benefit of your severance package
- negotiate internal or external announcements to protect your reputation.
Legal Directories and Client Feedback on our Senior Executive Expertise
Our Senior Executive team’s expertise and high-quality service is recognised by the Legal Directories. The Legal Directories award the best lawyers in the UK after feedback from clients and other lawyers and have recognised RWK Goodman’s employment team as a leader for employment law for senior executives (which includes C-Suite, executive and non-executive directors, Listed and private companies, senior employees, directors, shareholders and founders). We act for clients in the in Financial Services, Insurance, Technology and Professional Services sectors. Most recently, the Legal 500 (2025) and Chambers (2025) have recognised the RWK Goodman’s employment expertise in dealing with employment issues for Senior Executives in the London, UK. If you are a senior employee and need specialist employment advice for a complex or sensitive issue please speak with us about how we can help. Our specialist senior executive lawyers are experienced, approachable with an excellent reputation. We help resolve high-value and high-profile issues for our clients. We work closely with our clients to understand their aims and achieve the best financial, commercial and reputational outcome.
Client Testimonials collated independently by Legal 500 (2025) research team on RWK Goodman’s Senior Executive team:
- ‘The team has a range of experience in key areas, and their expertise is deployed in a friendly and easy-to-understand manner.’
- ‘Clear, concise advice. User friendly.’
- ‘Clear advice, discuss the options and have a pragmatic approach. First-class service.’
- ‘Very professional team with timely follow ups. I felt I got the customer service I was paying for and beyond.’
- ‘Caroline Doran Millett is excellent – a very safe pair of hands and a tough defender of her clients.’
- I have worked with Catherine Hawkes. She is extremely professional and approachable in her presentation. Catherine is always well-researched and is able to assimilate knowledge in a particular matter quickly.’
- ‘Caroline Doran Millett managed my case very professionally and I felt she had a strong sense of responsibility to achieve the right outcome.’
- ‘Catherine Hawkes’ work was far more efficient and effective than other solicitors that I approached with my situation. She quickly got to grips with the context and immediately presented an approach that was unambiguous that removed all unnecessary work. She was professional and knowledgeable, while always being clear, patient, and friendly. Her style was naturally neuro-inclusive and collaborative. I was grateful to have someone so competent by my side guiding me through such a difficult situation.’
RWK Goodman Senior Executives Strengths Provided by Chambers (2025)
- “She has a great combination of clarity, rationality and assertiveness but is also very caring, warm and responsive.”
- “Caroline is an excellent, experienced partner and it was a pleasure to work with her.”
- “She is always very supportive, with a strong understanding and ambition to deliver the best outcome for me in my case.”
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