For the 13th year running, BDBF has been ranked Band 1 for Employment: Senior Executive by Chambers UK in their 2027 Guide. Six of our partners have been individually ranked for their employment law expertise, with three placed in Band 1 (Gareth Brahams, Claire Dawson and Paula Chan). Regulatory specialist, Nick Wilcox also moves up to Band 2 and recently returned Investigations and Mediation Partner, Polly Rodway features highly in the rankings again for her expertise. BDBF also retains its ranking in the Partnership category, underlining the firm’s depth of specialist knowledge and standing in this field, with Claire Dawson ranked for her partnership expertise.
BDBF has led on some of the most significant and high-value employment disputes of recent years. The firm’s innovative approach has produced landmark results in areas including whistleblowing and discrimination law. BDBF continues to provide outstanding expertise and outcomes for senior executives.
The firm is representing former Triton investment adviser and UK LLP member Mr Lapinski in a disability discrimination claim relating to lost bonus and deferred compensation. The case has garnered a lot of attention among employment lawyers because the question of whether the Employment Tribunal has international jurisdiction in respect of overseas respondents is due to be heard by the Court of Appeal in December. The firm is also acting in a high profile, multi-million pound whistleblowing claim against Meta – a case that has drawn significant media attention amid ongoing scrutiny of the tech giant’s integrity. Separately, the firm represents the former CEO of SunLife (part of Phoenix Group) together with other claimants, in a £9m High Court claim for a shortfall in bonus payments. The litigation, issued in early 2025 and is due to go to trial in the Spring of 2027.
Chambers says: “The team are technically excellent but also pragmatic. Their advice is that of a trusted adviser, not simply a lawyer. The team are brilliant; I highly recommend them for complex employment-related matters. Their advice was invaluable.”
The employment lawyers recognised in the BDBF team and their rankings are:
A true leader in the field, Gareth continues to set the standard.
“Gareth is outstanding. He is one of the best in the industry.”
“Gareth is clearly a very experienced professional in employment matters and I greatly appreciated his support.”
“Gareth really struck me from the beginning and has incredibly fast and accurate judgement. He clearly puts the client first and is an incredibly amazing negotiator.”
“Gareth is one of the go-to claimant lawyers for employment work in London. He is very effective, an experienced litigator, a great lawyer, and very client focused.”
“Any time we have a contentious employee issue, we reach out to Gareth for advice on how to navigate sensitive departures and redundancies.”
Claire’s exceptional expertise and client-focused style mark her out.
“Claire’s strategic and legal advice was invaluable. I felt in very safe hands throughout and trusted the process.”
“Claire was really superb. She was totally unflappable and laser-focused on an outcome for her client. She gave me fabulous support through a really difficult process and the strength to go through that process with confidence. I would recommend her to anyone without reservation.”
“Claire is a brilliant lawyer. She is technically excellent but also very adept at delivering commercial and pragmatic advice.”
“Claire Dawson is an amazing, tip-top lawyer.”
“Claire is a reliable and experienced generalist, with great patience for clients.”
“She really knows her stuff and is good with people. She’s very commercial and good at getting a good deal for her clients.”
Claire is also ranked in the Partnership category, described as “a very experienced and effective practitioner who takes on difficult and interesting cases and handles them very well. She is highly recommended.”
Paula’s strong performance keeps her firmly among leading practitioners in the field.
“Paula is fabulous: clever, commercial, cool, calm and collected. She is always my first recommendation for senior executives with employment law queries or disputes.”
“Paula is excellent. She is a technical lawyer… She has got a great client manner.”
“Paula was excellent. She is very knowledgeable and I felt very confident having her on my team.”
“Paula is a pleasure to deal with. She is knowledgeable, empathetic and pragmatic.”
“Paula is superb. She was particularly expert at handling the negotiation… and achieved strong results. She shows empathy but maintains focus and is clear headed. I was very impressed.”
Nick’s reliability and insight continue to earn strong praise, with a well-deserved rise to Band 2.
“Nick is clever and thoughtful. He is great with his clients and a great strategic thinker.”
“Nick is approachable and professional, and we value his wealth of knowledge. His advice is clear and concise, and he is readily available to support and advise us on any employment law matter.”
“Nick’s approach is client-first, highly ethical and reliable. He is my first choice for a UK employment matter, especially high-profile, high-stakes matters.”
“Nick is a savvy City lawyer who acts for both employees and employers. He is loved by clients and has excellent client-handling skills.”
“Nick is exceptional. What truly distinguishes him from his peers is his rare combination of high-level emotional intelligence and sharp legal realism.”
Polly rejoins the firm as a Partner to lead BDBF’s dedicated Investigations and Mediation practice and is recognised in Band 3.
“Polly is excellent.”
Clare continues to make her mark with her energetic and commercial approach.
“Clare has very good client-handling skills and is well liked by clients. She is sensible and good to work with.”
“Clare is incredibly responsive, so empathetic and able to deal with the difficult legal aspects really well. She is charming, real and soothing – a godsend.”
Leigh Janes – Associate to Watch
In the Employer category, BDBF Senior Associate Leigh Janes has been ranked again for her expertise and is ranked as an Associate to Watch.
“Leigh was wonderful. She was extremely helpful, she gave direct and actionable feedback based on our conversations, and she was always prompt in her responses.”
Roshan Dykes – Associate to Watch
In the Employment: Employee & Trade Union category, BDBF Associate Roshan Dykes has been ranked as an Associate to Watch for his expertise.
“Roshan is incredible; I can’t speak highly enough of him.”
Thank you to our clients, referrers and colleagues in the employment law community for their continued support and incredible feedback. Congratulations to all of our peers in the employment law world on their 2027 rankings.
If you would like to discuss your employment law needs, please contact your usual BDBF contact, email us at info@bdbf.co.uk or call us on 020 3828 0350.
