Audrey Williams

Audrey advises on day-to-day HR issues, terminations, unfair dismissal, discrimination, and whistleblowing grievances, internal investigations and workforce changes, including restructures and redundancies.

• Advised a statutory body on bullying allegations, a non-departmental public body on a large-scale investigation and several listed companies on the corporate response to discrimination and whistleblowing complaints.
• Provided training to a privately owned, global organisation on diversity and respect/dignity at work, having worked with them on a number of sensitive race and sexual harassment investigations and grievances.
• Collaborated with HR, legal, and reward experts in a manufacturing business, on gender and ethnic pay reporting obligations and diversity action plans to address equity issues.
• Advised an education client on safeguarding and misconduct investigations.
• Advised a plc entity on the legal issues and their policy with regard to employee directors and related misconduct concerns.
• Defended a high-street retailer on an unfair dismissal and race claim brought by a dismissed employee following a sensitive sexual harassment investigation.
• Worked with corporate and listing experts to advise the Board and chair on a complex investigation into concerns about CEO; this advice included making recommendations on the process, reliance on succession planning and potential age discrimination, and mitigating contractual and other risks.
• Defended a cross-border whistleblowing claim in the Employment Tribunal on behalf of a global telecoms business.
• Acted on the strike-out of a disability and race discrimination claim brought against a large transport group.
• Advised a plc entity on the legal issues and their policy with regard to employee directors and related misconduct concerns and resolution of threatened claims.
• Advised on a number of policy projects for an education and charity group in relation to international assignments, overseas working, contractual terms, pay, and grading structures.
• Advised a client on contract, unfair dismissal/constructive dismissal, and potential contract claims, post-merger integration role change and variation of terms with retention provisions and complex buyout/share options.
• Advised a number of senior executives on post-merger integration issues, severance and exit terms, including negotiating on bonus, share options, and incentive/retention schemes.
• Worked with a number of individuals on negotiating exit terms from limited liability partnerships and retirement terms.

Audrey supports media clients with on day-to-day employment matters, workplace investigations, appointments and exits, and claims relating to dismissal, harassment, whistleblowing, and discrimination.

• Advised a number of TMT clients on site reductions, restructuring, redundancies, site closures, and changes to terms and conditions.
• Acted as project lead to provide post-merger integration advice on a cross-border acquisition to a NASDAQ listed technology and manufacturing business.
• Led the employment input on a site disposal for a TMT client group, which included complex post-completion financial and management commitments.
• Advised a US and European tech business on a sensitive and complex, multi-party bullying and harassment investigation, as well as on follow-up remedial action involving executive-level staff.
• Provided key recommendations and coordinated cross-border advice on a global reduction in force VR policy and enhanced severance terms for a technology client.
• Advice to a tech client on contract, unfair dismissal/constructive dismissal and potential contract claims, post-merger integration role changes, and variation of terms with retention provisions and complex buyout/share options.
• Acted as project lead to provide employment law input on a site disposal for a TMT client group, which included complex post-completion financial and management commitments.
• Advising a listed TMT telecoms business on performance concerns within the executive team, restructuring process and termination terms, including support with managing meetings and discussions with senior executives.

Audrey advises life sciences organisations on day-to-day employment matters, collaboration agreements, executive appointments, negotiated exits, and claims relating to dismissal, harassment, whistleblowing, and discrimination.

• Advised a privately owned bio sciences business on executive severance arrangements.
• Working with the in-house team of a research institute on collaboration agreements underpinned by secondment arrangements.
• Provided expert assessment on whistleblowing risks to a major US pharmaceutical business.
• Supported a pharmaceutical client’s in-house legal and privacy teams with a pre-litigation subject access request advice and worked with their e-disclosure team to assess relevance, commercial risks, and third-party privacy issues.
• Advised a US-owned, UK-based medical devices business on post-termination restraints in respect of a number of senior and sales executive recruitment decisions.
• Advised a US business on the acquisition of a UK medical device business including TUPE and post-acquisition issues, staff consultation, and assignment arrangements from target business.
• Advising several executives in a healthcare business on post-merger integration issues and exits, including working with expert comp and benefits colleagues to protect and minimise the impact on loan notes, options, bonus and leaver provisions.

Audrey assists clients in the retail sector on day-to-day matters, executive appointments, negotiated exits, and claims relating to dismissal, harassment, whistleblowing, and discrimination.

• Represented a European retail business on the exit of their UK branch CEO.
• Advised a major retailer on the implementation of furlough arrangements.
• Worked with the HR team and retail director on holiday pay and national minimum wage issues.
• Worked with a retail business on their restructuring, consultation, and process issues (appeals and grievances) and managing executive exits.
• Advised a retail business on a complex disability discrimination management case, including mental health and physical adjustments, addressing multiple grievance complaints and complex correspondence, including related tribunal claims.

Recognised by Best Lawyers UK for Employment Law 2009–2025

The Reward 300 Employment Law Leader of the Year 2021

As a result of her expertise, Audrey has given evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees on disability discrimination and gender disparity.

Written and co-authored a number of employment books for recognised publishers including Croners and Jordans. and collaborated with and written for leading organisations in the HR field ACAS, and CityHR, and published articles in People Management, Personnel Today, and The Times.

Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Worked with the CIPD for several years providing updates and editorial input for their membership including legal guides, and information pages

Former member of CityHR’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce and contributing author to the association’s Inspiring Journeys to Race Equality publication to support organisational progress on race equity