Testimonials
Achieving a financially valuable exit
Mr L was a Chief Operating Officer for a leading independent wealth manager. He was in an unusual situation as although others had been made redundant in a re-organisation, he also wanted to be made “redundant” as this would result in very beneficial “good leaver” terms for his deferred remuneration, and he genuinely considered that his role in the business had changed. However, the business wanted to retain him indefinitely albeit in an undefined role. BDBF were able to construct a viable exit route and guided Mr L through a grievance and appeal process which finally achieved the desired outcome. Mr L had daily access to a partner who was wholly focused on securing his exit on the best possible terms.
Clearing your record - fighting allegations
Mr J was a trader in a bank accused of manipulating a benchmark rate. There were some emails between him and the rate setter that were ambiguous. We helped him script his response to the disciplinary charge, give a credible explanation for the ambiguous emails, and identify evidence that showed he was a champion of acting compliantly amongst his peers. The bank accepted that Mr J had provided a complete answer to his case and handed him the bonus which it had withheld pending the outcome of the case. Mr J still works at the bank and his career has continued to progress.
Should I stay or should I go?
Ms B was a senior compliance manager for a global financial services firm. It was clear that there was a breakdown of the working relationship with her line manager and this manifested in her being excluded from key decisions and meetings, being undermined in front of her colleagues, ostracised from her team and put through an unreasonable performance improvement process. She felt that her situation was untenable, and it began to take a toll on her health. We supported Ms B with our responsive advice during her performance process, and appeal against the outcome, and we successfully negotiated a swift settlement, which enabled Ms B to leave with a clean record and compensation.
Whistleblowing - Exposing the inconvenient truth
As a specialist medical Consultant with over 20 years unblemished experience and ultimate responsibility to patients with life threatening conditions, Mr W’s interest was to ensure that his patients received the best possible care and treatment. It was therefore shocking when Mr W was dismissed after raising serious concerns about the hospital’s practices, which he believed were putting patients’ treatment at risk. His dismissal brought an end to a dedicated career and a new fight for justice. There was no alternative but to litigate. BDBF’s experience in acting for whistleblowers against both large public service and other global organisations is invaluable. We provided a highly experienced legal team focussing on the strongest legal and policy issues to achieve Mr W’s objectives. The case exposed the hospital’s failings whilst protecting Mr W’s reputation from being further maligned.
Business set up - Moving a team
Ms A and Mr S were directors of different advertising agencies within the same network. At an industry event, they got talking and realised they shared a vision of how an agency could really deliver results for its clients and resolved to go into business together. The network wrote to each of them threatening to take them to court if they tried to compete with them. Ms A and Mr S did not have the resources for a big legal battle and they were in danger of losing their business. We helped them steer a middle course between capitulating completely, which would have made their start as entrepreneurs next to impossible, and taking such an aggressive stance towards their post-employment obligations under their old contracts that litigation was inevitable. The network did not see through its threat and the company they set up now employs over 100 people and is a market leader in its field.
Returning from maternity leave
Stress at work - mental health breakdown
