Jennifer Nicol has seen it before.

Jennifer Nicol joins Greenwoods on 1 September as Partner and Head of Employment, based in London. She takes over leadership of the practice from Keith Williams, who continues as a Partner and becomes Department Manager. 

Jennifer has spent over twenty years fielding the employment law questions that arrive without a precedent. The executive exit that has turned difficult. The dispute between senior leaders everyone can see, and nobody will address. The investigation into something ultra-sensitive, involving someone senior enough that the outcome will be discussed for months. The person who is unwell, whose colleagues want to do the right thing, but have no idea what that is. 

She advises boards, executives, shareholders and investors, partners and directors on appointments and exits, senior leadership disputes, restructures and reorganisations, restrictive covenants, service agreements and workplace investigations. She works on the employment side of corporate transactions. She also advises on people policies, organisational values and leadership training, which is the same expertise applied to stop things going wrong. 

Rob Dillarstone, CEO, said: “Jennifer has spent twenty years advising boards on difficult and sensitive people decisions. That is a particular kind of expertise, and it is not easy to hire. I am so pleased she chose to join us.” 

The team 

The team advises long-standing national and international clients across the full range of employment matters, including workplace investigations. William Marsh and Issy Mason joined as Associates over the summer, and Jennifer is not the last arrival planned this year. 

Keith Williams, who has led the practice on an interim basis, remains in the team as a Partner and becomes Department Manager. The split is deliberate: Keith runs day-to-day operations, and Jennifer sets the direction and builds the team. Keith and, before him, John Macaulay have created a practice area ready for its next phase of growth. 

Keith Williams, Partner and Department Manager, said: “I have been leading the team on an interim basis, and I am pleased to welcome Jennifer as head of the team whilst I focus on my Department Manager role. I’ll be managing day-to-day operations while Jennifer sets the direction and grows the team. It plays to what each of us does best.” 

Jennifer Nicol said: “A lot of my work arrives after something has already gone wrong near the top of an organisation. The legal answer is often the straightforward part. The experience goes into working out how the organisation or the executive gets through it, and what it looks like afterwards. I came to Greenwoods because it was obvious how much the firm wants this practice to grow, and because Keith Williams and John Macaulay have created something fantastic to build on.” 

Jennifer is based in London. To talk to us about employment law, contact Jennifer Nicol or Keith Williams.