“Paula Chan is excellent – very diligent, organised, and strategic.” Legal 500 UK 2026
“Paula is a legal powerhouse. She is empathetic yet fights for my interests with precision and incredible expertise.” Chambers UK 2024
Paula is an employment and partnership lawyer with almost 20 years’ experience.
Paula advises senior employees, founders, PLC directors, c-suite executives, LLP members, partners and employers on employment law issues. She has expertise in whistleblowing, sexual harassment and discrimination cases.
Paula has a particular focus on partnership and LLP matters, advising on membership agreements, partner disputes, governance issues and high-value partner exits. She is known for navigating sensitive internal dynamics and delivering strategic, commercially astute outcomes for clients whilst preserving their reputation and career prospects.
Paula is ranked in Band 1 as a leading individual for Employment: Senior Executive in Chambers UK 2026 and a Leading Partner for Employment: Senior Executives in the Legal 500 UK 2026 for her work acting for senior employees in employment tribunal and High Court proceedings. Commentators note that she “gives 100% at all times and her work and service levels are exceptional.” She is described as “absolutely devoted to her cases and extremely user friendly.”
Previous Chambers editions state that she “is an excellent lawyer… a good negotiator and very dynamic in her approach.” She is also described as “sound, pragmatic and thorough” and one referee was “extremely impressed by her knowledge and her analysis, as well as her ability to talk to clients in language that they understand.”
The Legal 500 UK describe Paula as “a stand-out individual – she is strategically astute, meticulous and attuned to the client’s needs.” She is “sought after” for her knowledge of employment matters in the financial services and is an “exceptionally smart lawyer, technically strong and eminently pragmatic.”
She is a trusted adviser to senior individuals, including those from the legal, financial and private equity space, in cases involving discrimination, whistleblowing and unfair treatment. She has a track record of acting for PLC directors on their exits and she also advises on new contracts and LLP membership agreements. She is often called upon to support clients with defending performance and misconduct allegations, including those involving career ending and sometimes criminal allegations. Her career highlight includes negotiating a substantial eight figure settlement on behalf of a C-suite employee in long running and hard fought breach of contract proceedings in the High Court.
Building on her growing client base in the media and entertainment sector, Paula is increasingly recognised for advising senior creatives and executives on reputation-sensitive disputes, contractual negotiations and exits. She understands the unique commercial and reputational pressures faced by individuals and businesses in this space, and is adept at delivering pragmatic, discreet and results-driven advice.
For those cases that fight, Paula is an experienced litigator and has acted in high value and complex disputes before the employment tribunal and High Court. She also brings her unique insight, judgment and expertise to employer clients on the whole range of employment issues.
Notable cases include:
- Advising co-founders and chief executives of a successful media production company following its acquisition by a global media group. Paula defended bad-faith disciplinary proceedings designed to trigger bad leaver provisions and achieved a substantial seven figure million share valuation, full release from covenants, novation of projects, and payment of notice and legal costs without any hearing or adverse findings.
- Supporting a long-serving LLP partner of a major law firm based in the City who had experienced disability discrimination relating to menopause and neurodiversity, victimisation and whistleblowing claims. Paula negotiated an early exit with compensation exceeding two years’ drawings and profits, full contribution to legal and tax costs, and a client communication plan enabling the LLP partner to seamlessly transition their practice.
- Advising an LLP member and London based law firm partner on restrictive covenants and fiduciary obligations during an exit from a well-known law firm, facilitating a smooth early departure and seamless transition to a new firm with their key practice area intact.
- Acting for a Senior Equity Partner and Head of Real Estate at a prominent UK law firm in high-value exit negotiations. Paula resolved claims involving age and sex discrimination, harassment, and governance breaches allowing him to take his practice straight into a new firm with a seven figure package.
- Advising a senior LLP member and department head of in a leading professional services firm on their retirement and exit. Paula secured full protection of their profit share, bonus entitlements, and negotiated favourable terms with their new employer. She also helped them ward off potential employee competition proceedings following accusations that they had acted in breach of restrictive covenants.
- A sexual harassment claim against an equity partner in an international law firm. Paula negotiated a confidential high value settlement on behalf of her client, which included a significant element of tax-free personal injury damages and injury to feelings.
- A disability discrimination and unfair dismissal claim in which she negotiated a substantial high value settlement equal to more than five times her client’s annual salary. The claim settled at an early stage in the litigation.
- Defending a Chief Executive Officer facing multiple vexatious grievances and appeals, none of which were ultimately upheld, a powerful vindication for her client.
- Advising the Head of a Private Equity fund on the terms of her retirement from the LLP, which entitled her to retain her eight figure co-invest and carried interest, as well as to payment of a substantial seven figure exit payment.
Clients describe Paula as “exceptional” and have said:
Paula sits on the training committee of the Employment Lawyers Association. She also sits as a committee member of the Society of Scottish Lawyers in London. She is also a member of the Association of Partnership Practitioners. Paula is a regular media commentator and has appeared on Sky News and ITV News and has been quoted by publications such as the Guardian, Financial Times, the Evening Standard, BBC News and Huffington Post.
Paula relocated from London to Scotland and continues to commute to London for work. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her three daughters, family and friends, going to the theatre and playing tennis.
Paula was admitted as a solicitor in March 2009.
