Chris Goodwill

Chris advises on boardroom and PLC governance, whistleblowing, discrimination, M&A employment matters, senior exits, SMCR compliance, confidential information, and collective consultation, with expertise across all types of employment documentation.

• Employment litigation in the Employment Tribunal and High Court, including advising a major UK bank on the successful defence of several whistleblowing and dismissal claims in the wake of the industry-wide investigation into the alleged manipulation of foreign exchange markets, and the successful defence of a high-profile dismissal case for a financial services company.
• Advised several banks and corporate clients, and an international charity on #MeToo investigations, related disciplinary matters and the development of policies and processes to handle such issues.
• Regular advice on redundancy procedures including union and employee consultation and negotiating exit packages, including for a major Japanese technology company, an Italian bank, a global France-headquartered power company, and a US-headquartered technology infrastructure provider.
• Advice to the CEO and COO of a FTSE 100 company on their relocation to another country.
• Advice to a senior executive of a national parliament of their contractual arrangements and their management of a politically sensitive investigation.
• Advice to two major UK banks on the implementation of the FCA Senior Manager and Certification Regime and the consequential impact on employment documentation. Related advice to senior managers on their duties under SMCR and to various financial services companies on the extended SMCR regime.
• Advice on the legal and corporate governance issues relating to the departure of senior executives of UK public companies including, the CEO of a well-known construction company, the CEO of an oil company, the CEO of a UK bank, the COO of another UK bank, the US CEO of a major insurer, and the CFO of a listed financial services company.
• Advice to numerous senior executives and high-profile individuals, including the head of a financial regulator on their departure, the incoming CEO of a listed mining and natural resources company, supporting the head of a major UK charity in relation to an internal investigation, contractual advice to a high-profile journalist moving between TV companies, and to a well-known sports coach on their departure.
• Various cross-border advisory projects in relation to contractual harmonisation, GDPR, and whistleblowing #MeToo policies covering up to 80 countries for major corporates including, recently, a US-headquartered beverages company, an England–Holland-headquartered consumer goods company, a Japan-headquartered IT services and technology company, and a Singapore-headquartered sovereign wealth fund.

Chris advises financial services clients on a wide range of employment matters including whistleblowing, dismissal and discrimination claims, redundancy, collective consultation, restrictive covenants, protection of confidential information, and corporate governance.

• Advice to two major UK banks on the implementation of the FCA Senior Manager and Certification Regime and the consequential impact on employment documentation. Related advice to senior managers on their duties under SMCR and to various financial services companies on the extended SMCR regime.
• Advice to several financial services clients on #MeToo investigations, related disciplinary matters and the development of policies and processes to handle such issues.
• Regularly handled employment litigation in the Employment Tribunal and High Court, including advising a major UK bank on the successful defence of several whistleblowing and dismissal claims in the wake of the industry-wide investigation into the alleged manipulation of foreign exchange markets.
• Advice to a large hedge fund in relation to a $500m whistleblowing claim by a senior employee.
• Advice to numerous senior executives including the high-profile head of a financial regulator and the European head of a global investment bank on their departure arrangements.
• Regular advice to PLC boards of UK listed banks on the hiring and exit arrangements for CEOs, CFOs, and other senior executives.
• Conducted investigations into whistleblowing and discrimination allegations for a UK bank and an African bank.
• Advice on the employee consultation and redundancy processes involved in the closure of the UK branch of Italy’s oldest bank.
• Advice to a UK clearing bank on employee transfers as part of its post-Brexit structuring.
• Regular advice to a US-headquartered PE house on numerous employee disciplinary and grievance issues and in relation to the transfer of its employees and directors into to a series of LLPs.
• Regular advice to a France-headquartered financial services business including on employee documentation, disciplinary matters, privacy issues, and employee investigations.

Chris advises sporting organisations on employment and governance matters, including player contracts, disciplinary issues, whistleblowing, discrimination claims, redundancy, collective consultation, restrictive covenants, protection of confidential information, and compliance with industry regulations.

• Advice to the CEO of a Premier League football club on his departure and subsequently on his contractual arrangements with another Premier League club.
• Advice to two Premier League football teams on the departure of their managers and their support teams.
• Advice to several Formula One racing teams on contractual arrangements for drivers and race engineers.
• Advice to a coach of the England men’s rugby union team on his departure from the RFU.
• Advice to the FA on the departure of an England football manager and the contractual arrangements for his replacement.
• Advice to a Premier League football team on the exit of its CEO.
• Advice to an international player on his contractual arrangements with a Premier League football club.

Chris supports professional practices clients with employment law issues, including dismissal and discrimination claims, whistleblowing, redundancies, collective consultation, restrictive covenants, protection of confidential data, and corporate governance, helping firms navigate complex professional environments.

• Regular advice to a US-headquartered law firm on its UK partnership and employment documentation and handled employee litigation on its behalf.
• Regular advice to a UK-headquartered global law firm on numerous partnership and employment matters including litigation, amendments to its LLP agreement, and global downsizing projects.
• Advice to a senior employee on his departure from a global management consultancy firm.
• Advice to an international accountancy firm on an employee investigation.
• Advice to a senior lawyer on his departure from a US-headquartered international law firm.

Recognised by Best Lawyers (UK) for Employment 2025

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Employment: Senior Executives 2021

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Employment: Employers 2021

Recognised in Who’s Who Legal for Labour & Employment 2021

Recognised in Band 1 for employment advice to employers by Chambers UK 2019

Author of Restrictive Covenants under Common and Competition Law (6th edition, Sweet & Maxwell) (which can be found here)

ACAS Arbitrator since 2019

Member of the Employment Lawyers Association