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Driven to deliver client excellence, leader of our employment service in Cambridge

Joanna Scally

Partner, Employment

+44 (0)1223 785296

jrscally@greenwoods.co.uk

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Jo is a leading lawyer in the employment field in Cambridge who has successfully built up our Cambridge employment team’s client-base. Jo thrives on winning new clients and excels at building strong client relationships. The depth of her understanding of the nature of clients’ organisations and what makes them tick increases the value of the advice she gives. Clients are impressed with how responsive, pragmatic and results-driven Jo is and appreciate her honesty and breadth of knowledge.

Testimonials

“Jo Scally is always very responsive. She takes time to get to know the organisation and to provide pragmatic suggestions and solutions to individual case issues.”

(Legal 500 2025)

“Jo Scally and Siobhan Thomson are a great double act and I would not hesitate to contact them for advice. I have every confidence in their advice and understanding of the business which is always practical and considered.”

(Legal 500 2025)

“Jo is a safe pair of hands and an experienced member of the firm’s employment and employee benefits team who effectively leads its employment law services in Cambridge.”

(Legal 500 2019)

“She is well known for her practical approach to advising clients to achieve high quality and innovative solutions. She is dynamic, has a great ability to look at the bigger picture and is results-driven.”

(Legal 500 2021)

“Jo Scally and Siobhan Thompson are exceptional practitioners. They draw on a wealth of knowledge and experience to provide both the personnel services and the wider organisation balance and practical advice and support.”

(Legal 500 2022)

“Jo Scally and Siobhan Thomson provide reassuringly reliable and realistic advice. They collaborate effectively ensuring that the service is always responsive and that someone is available when we need them.”

(Legal 500 2022)

Jo successfully leads our Education Sector and has grown the Sector. She has a wealth of experience through acting for our client base of independent schools, academies and Cambridge Colleges.

Jo has converted 23 of the 31 Cambridge Colleges and is the go-to person for many Bursars and HR Managers as well as looking after the schools of a large Borough Council.

Jo specialises in all aspects of employment law but particularly enjoys the contentious Tribunal and court work, as well as large scale restructuring, redundancies and change programmes.

To quote Chambers 2022:

“Joanna Scally leads the education section-focused Greenwoods team and is recommended for her work for clients in that sector. She ably assists on contentious employment matters including claims relating to dismissal, discrimination and equal pay. She is also highly capable of advising clients on business-as-usual issues.”

Educated at Edinburgh University, Jo turned to law after an MA in Politics.

Jo now leads our employment service in Cambridge and has built up an impressive client base, including national and local companies and organisations both in and around Cambridge as well as wider afield.

Another string to her bow is the Education Sector which Jo leads. Clients like what they see and 23 of the Cambridge Colleges have now instructed us as well as many other educational establishments.

Jo has experience of both contentious and non-contentious matters and is a safe pair of hands. Jo enjoys getting her teeth into complicated non-contentious matters, such as large-scale business reorganisations, change programmes and redundancy situations.

Valuing client relationships highly, clients tell us they love the added value she brings through her interest in and knowledge of each and every organisation that she acts for.

Jo is a safe pair of hands and advises clients in a friendly, pragmatic way and is results-driven. She provides a quick service and is always available for her clients.

Some recent work examples include:

Advising on restructures and changes of terms and conditions such as a proposal to reduce a normal working week of staff from 40 hours to 37.5 hours, affecting over 100 employees, which gave rise to equal pay issues, less favourable treatment because of part-time status, constructive unfair dismissal risks and pension considerations
Defending a school against a Tribunal claim of a teacher who was dismissed during COVID-19 due to long-term sickness absence. The Teacher brought claims of unfair dismissal and disability discrimination as she had OCD and GAD which were accentuated by the pandemic.
Advising on senior exits such as the exit of a staff member who was also a professional by-fellow, on grounds of performance where there were potential age discrimination issues and continuing fellowship rights advice covered the without prejudice process, settlement agreement and the taxation of the termination payments
Advising on grievance and disciplinary issues such as a potential gross misconduct matter against a Porter in relation to allegations of theft and unauthorised access in restricted areas
Advising on the employment status of various academic staff engaged by a College including fellows, bye-fellows, tutors, supervisors and officers

If you need any employment or education advice and you’re looking for a lawyer who will explain complex matters simply and get you the solution you are looking for, contact Jo.

Outside of life at the firm Jo enjoys travelling, catching up with friends and time with her family.

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