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UK

Kelly Sayers

Partner

England & Wales

020 3319 3700

kelly.sayers@keystonelaw.co.uk

“Kelly has been a superb resource to the Diocese in a number of demanding HR matters in recent years. Her legal clarity, accessible style and significant experience in the complexities of Church of England tenure have made a real difference to the way we now operate.”

- Diocesan Bishop, Client

Kelly has spent the last 20 years advising employers on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment law. In particular, she helps employers manage difficult employees, defend complex Employment Tribunal claims, undertake redundancy and restructuring exercises, and manage the employment aspects of corporate transactions.

In addition to advisory work, Kelly acts as hearing officer in high-level grievance and disciplinary hearings and undertakes investigations into complex employment disputes. She also provides in-depth training on such things as Equality and Diversity, Performance and Absence Management and TUPE.

Kelly’s work spans across various sectors including healthcare, logistics, leisure, construction, engineering, manufacturing, financial services and energy. Her clients include large corporates/multinationals (FTSE/Fortune 500), local authorities, family-owned businesses and start-ups. She has also undertaken a significant amount of work over the years for a number of high-profile charities.

Kelly has developed a specialism in ecclesiastical law and has over 15 years’ experience working alongside a range of Church of England organisations across the UK on HR and clergy-related matters. She provides advice to Diocesan Secretaries, Heads of HR, Bishops and Archdeacons as well as trustees of Parochial Church Councils. She has also presented at a variety of training days on such things as Safe Recruitment and Managing Clergy.

Kelly is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

Expertise

Kelly advises on executive exits, whistleblowing investigations, settlement agreements, tribunal claims, employment aspects of business sales, TUPE transfers, restructurings, and managing complex employee issues, including mental health and reputational risk.

Experience

  • Acted for an international financial services business on the employment aspects of the sale of part of their business. This included advising on numerous complex settlement agreements involving share options and bonus arrangements.
  • Advised a national engineering business on very serious allegations of whistleblowing on the grounds of health & safety and helping it manage a complicated investigation process and threatened strike involving several hundred employees.
  • Advised a large construction company on a restructuring exercise involving issuing new contracts to over 500 employees.
  • Provided strategic advice to a transport company on the removal of a director and shareholder following allegations of sexual harassment.
  • Represented a deputy chief executive of a high-profile public-sector organisation on her exit package. This involved negotiating not only a fair deal (within very restricted parameters) but also managing the potential reputational damage.
  • Advised a large international business on the employment aspects of a European-wide TUPE transfer. This was a complicated transaction worth many millions of pounds, and which involved a significant dispute around the application of TUPE with the outgoing service provider.
  • Assisted several businesses in managing employees with significant mental health issues, in particular an employee who was diagnosed with schizophrenia and another who had a Class A drug addiction.
  • Advising care homes on employee issues including representing a large care home in a complex Employment Tribunal claim.
  • Advised care homes on the employment aspects of acquisitions (TUPE transfers).

Kelly advises charities and not-for-profits on employment matters, including investigations, executive exits, tribunal claims, clergy employment, restructuring, grievance processes, settlement agreements, fraud allegations, training on equality and diversity, and compliance.

Experience

  • Undertook a large and very complex investigation for a Church of England related charity involving serious issues of bullying and race discrimination by a Director.
  • Acted for a high-profile charity in the exit of a senior executive following very serious allegations of race discrimination. This attracted significant press attention.
  • Acted for a Parochial Church Council in a potential £250,000 fraud.
  • Advising numerous Church of England Diocese on all aspects of employment law. This includes advice to Bishops and Archdeacons on issues involving members of the clergy. In particular, advising on the clergy capability procedure, ill health processes, managing clergy exits by way of settlement agreements, and advice on freehold and common tenure issues.
  • Advised a Church of England Bishop on a reorganisation across the Diocese which involved the exit of the Diocesan Secretary.
  • Conducted a grievance hearing on behalf of a Church of England Bishop involving a dispute between Directors.
  • Provided training to a variety of charities on a range of employment issues, in particular, equality and diversity.
  • Acted for a Church of England charity in an Employment Tribunal claim involving allegations of disability discrimination and constructive dismissal.

Please note: The experience list above may include examples of work completed prior to joining Keystone Law.

Recognition

Recognised by Chambers UK for Employment 2020, 2025-2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Employment 2024–2026

Recognised by The Legal 500 for Employment: Employers 2022

Member of the Employment Lawyers Association

“Kelly is a very capable partner to work with.”

Chambers UK 2026

Kelly qualified as a solicitor in 2002. Prior to joining Keystone Law in 2020, she worked at Prettys.