Nicola-Smyrl-header

Nicola Smyrl

Partner

Employment

01582 390242

About

I am a Partner in our Employment Department with over 12 years of experience of advising employers and senior executives on a wide range of employment law matters.

I have significant experience in a wide range of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters including employment tribunal claims, redundancies, disciplinary and grievances and drafting and negotiating service and settlement agreements.

In addition, I advise our clients on business immigration matters which is increasingly important for businesses who are having to look at different approaches to recruitment of staff given current skills shortages.

Over the years I have also gained significant experience of advising on the employment aspects of corporate transactions including advice on business transfers and outsourcing matters, often involving complex TUPE issues.

I always strive to provide an excellent service to clients, seeking to understand the nature of their business or concerns and what they want to achieve in order to provide practical and tailored solutions to the issues that our clients face.

Having joined Taylor Walton as a trainee solicitor in 2007 and qualifying into the employment team in 2009, and becoming a Partner in 2021, I am testament to our ‘Grow our Own’ ethos.

Interests

In my spare time I enjoy reading, keeping fit and spending time with my family and friends.

Experience

  • Advising an incoming contractor in the manufacturing industry in relation to an outsourcing contract involving multiple sites including negotiating the TUPE aspects of the commercial contract.
  • Advising on the employment aspects of a merger between two large companies in the construction industry including assistance with the TUPE information and consultation process and advice on post merger changes.
  • Advising a senior director who was also the shareholder of a business in the manufacturing industry on a complex unfair dismissal and disability discrimination claim.
  • Advising a client operating in the food industry on a complex whistleblowing claim which was eventually resolved by way of settlement.
  • Advising a large client in the construction industry on multi-site redundancies.
  • Preparation and advice in relation to updating contracts of employment and policies for a large employer with over 200 employees.
  • Assisting an employee engaged in the recruitment industry with the grievance process and submission of an employment tribunal claim following a serious incident of sexual harassment.

Joined Taylor Walton in 2007

What our clients say

"We deal primarily with Nicola Smyrl. Nicola is absolutely excellent to deal with and is always very thorough, patient and works to tight deadlines where required." -Legal 500

Expected Developments in Employment Law

By Nicola Smyrl | 12 May 2023

The Government has recently announced a range of changes that it intends to make to employment law.  We have set out below a summary of the expected changes that are likely to be of interest to employers: Brexit Changes to Employment Law The Government has announced plans to: Abandon the controversial “sunset clause” in its…

New “fire and rehire” code of practice – what do you need to know?

By Nicola Smyrl | 7 March 2023

At the beginning of the year, the Government announced that it would be issuing a new statutory code of practice to “crack down on unscrupulous employers that use controversial fire and rehire dismissal tactics”.  This was prompted by the actions of P&O Ferries dismissing nearly 800 employees without following any form of dismissal process. The…

Are you ready for 2023? Key employment law developments expected next year

By Nicola Smyrl | 14 December 2022

Many employers will be glad to say goodbye to 2022, given the difficult economic circumstances which have been challenging for many businesses to navigate, hoping for more positivity in the year to come.  2023 is lining up to be a busy year for employment law, with various new laws and guidance expected to come into…

Employment Law Update

By Nicola Smyrl | 22 November 2022

We have set out below a roundup of recent employment developments: Autumn Statement – rise in National Living Wage (NLW) and National Minimum Wage (NMW) The Government has announced that from 1 April 2023 there will be: a 92p, or 9.7 percent, increase to the NLW for those aged 23 and over (from £9.50 to…

Do you need to change how you calculate holiday entitlement?

By Nicola Smyrl | 26 July 2022

The Supreme Court has recently handed down an important judgment in the long running case of Harpur Trust v Brazel concerning the amount of paid leave that a part-year worker is entitled to. A part-year worker is a worker who is employed under a permanent contract but works for varying hours each week and for…

Tackling staff shortages – should you consider a sponsor licence?

By Nicola Smyrl | 11 July 2022

As many employers will be aware from recent press reports, staff shortages are an increasing problem for businesses in the UK.  In our experience, many of our clients are experiencing difficulties in this area.  According to the Office of National Statistics, the number of job vacancies in March to May 2022 rose to a new…

Platinum Jubilee Bank Holiday – will you give your employees an extra day off?

By Nicola Smyrl | 3 May 2022

This year there will be an extra bank holiday to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, meaning there will be 9 rather than 8 bank holidays in 2022.  The late May bank holiday has been moved to Thursday 2 June 2022 and the additional Platinum Jubilee bank holiday will be on Friday 3 June 2022.  This…

Changes to right to work checks – take steps to prepare now

By Nicola Smyrl | 21 March 2022

The Government has recently announced changes to the ways that employers can perform “right to work” checks.  There have been various press reports in recent weeks warning employers that these changes will be “costly” for employers at a time when many business are already affected by increasing costs. It is unlawful to employ someone who…

How should employers respond to the end of Coronavirus restrictions in England?

By Nicola Smyrl | 24 February 2022

Earlier this week, the Prime Minister announced that all remaining Coronavirus restrictions would end in England.  The Government’s view is that restrictions on freedoms should not be in place for longer than absolutely necessary and that vaccines and other pharmaceutical interventions will form the first line of defence against Coronavirus. The changes announced include: The…

Should you reduce sick pay for your unvaccinated staff?

By Nicola Smyrl | 7 February 2022

In recent weeks there have been various press reports on the approach being taken to sick pay by a number of large, well known employers in relation to unvaccinated staff who are obliged to self-isolate due to having close contact with a positive case of Covid 19.  Under the current rules, unvaccinated people are required…