Ph: 07714 473395Email: simon@collingridgelaw.co.ukI began my legal career as a commercial barrister in Sydney in the mid 90s. Having met my British wife whilst travelling in India, I emigrated to the UK from Australia in 1999 and was fortunate to qualify as a solicitor specialising in employment law. I've had the opportunity to work for some great law firms over the years and this has allowed me to hone my skills as an employment lawyer and to work with some fantastic and talented people.I love practising employment law because it gives me the opportunity to work closely with my clients to resolve their issues. I also enjoy the fact there is huge variety and challenge to the work. Employment law it is a constantly evolving and complex area and there are always interesting scenarios at play.Over the past 25 years I have had the pleasure of working with business clients of all shapes and sizes and covering many different sectors. This work covers the full range of employment law matters. I also regularly represent employees that need help in sorting out their tricky employment situations.I decided to take a break from legal practice to gain experience working in-house on the board of directors for a large and growing company. So, from September 2021 to December 2023, I went to work with one of my favourite clients, a shoe and workwear distributor with over 280 employees. My time at Gardiner Bros as the Chief People Officer was wonderful in gaining valuable skills and insights that positively impact my work as an employment lawyer. In my role on the board, I established and led an effective People Team that has transformed how HR is delivered across the business. As a team, we have supported the business to improve in areas such as employee relations, learning & development, performance & labour management, talent acquisition and organisational structure. I have enjoyed developing my leadership skills and working alongside a driven and talented group of people.I am now back to practising employment law following my time working in-house. With a new set of skills under my belt and the fresh perspective that an in-house role brings, I am again enjoying supporting my clients to achieve their objectives in areas like restructuring, contracts, restrictive covenants, redundancy, discipline & grievance, TUPE, discrimination, dispute resolution, Employment Tribunal litigation, executive severance and settlement agreements.