Paul Roberts

Employment Services | Head of Department | Partner

Experience 

Paul joined the firm in 2006 as Head of the Employment department. He has over 20 years’ experience of employment law, originally at city law firms. 

Practice Area

Paul specialises in all aspects of employment law, acting for both employers and employees. For employers, he advises on a full range of employment issues, including disciplinary action, grievances, TUPE, performance issues, sickness absence, redundancies and employment tribunal claims. He acts for a range of clients, including businesses, churches and charities.  For employees, Paul advises on unfair dismissal and discrimination, settlement agreements and TUPE claims.

Highlights

• Successfully defending claims from four employees following a TUPE transfer, including success at the Employment Appeal Tribunal
• Recovering the maximum compensatory award following the unfair dismissal of a Managing Director
• Successfully defending a claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination against a local school
  

Qualifications

Solicitor

Interests

Paul enjoys cycling, drumming and snowboarding, though not at the same time.

Tom Parkes

Employment Services | Partner

Experience

Tom joined Keelys as a trainee solicitor in 2005 and joined the Employment Team soon after qualification in 2007.  He was promoted to Associate Partner in 2012 and in 2016, promoted to Partner.

Practice Area

Tom specialises in all aspects of employment law, acting for both employers and employees. For employers, he advises on a full range of employment issues, including disciplinary action, grievances, TUPE, performance issues, sickness absence, redundancies and employment tribunal claims. He acts for a range of clients, from small owner managed businesses to plcs. For employees, Tom advises on unfair dismissal and discrimination, settlement agreements and TUPE claims.

Highlights

• Achieved a substantial settlement for an individual in a claim against a Premier League Football Club
• Advised a Claimant in a complex whistleblowing claim against an international restaurant chain, securing a settlement in excess of a year’s remuneration.
• Advised on a large scale collective redundancy consultation following the closure of high profile employer

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Employment Services department: Paul Roberts

Interests

Father to two daughters, lifelong Evertonian, keen follower of the England cricket team, occasional runner and avid collector of vinyl.

Ravinder Sandhu

Employment Services | Partner

Experience

Ravinder joined Keelys as a trainee solicitor in 2001 and qualified into the Employment Team in 2003. She was promoted to Associate Partner in 2008 and in 2011, promoted to Partner.

Practice Area

Ravinder specialises in all aspects of employment law, acting for both employers and employees all over the UK. For employers, she advises on a full range of employment issues, including disciplinary action, grievances, TUPE, performance issues, sickness absence, redundancies, restructuring, employment tribunal claims and drafting of employment documentation including contracts of employment and policies and procedures. She acts for a range of employer clients, of all sizes, on a retainer basis across the UK and offers employment law training. For employees, Ravinder advises on all employment claims including unfair dismissal, discrimination, settlement agreements and Tribunal claims.

Highlights

• Successfully advised a Claimant in a claim for unfair dismissal and its appeal in the Court of Appeal.
• Achieved a substantial settlement in excess of a year’s remuneration for a Claimant involving a large and well recognised employer.
• Advising a number of employers with an international presence.

Qualifictations

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Employment Services department: Paul Roberts

Interests

Mother of one daughter, spending time with family and friends, travelling and exploring the world near and far, shopping and photography.

Ian Pettifer

Employment Services | Associate Partner

Experience

Ian joined Keelys in 2020.  He has been a qualified solicitor for over 20 years, and is a Chartered Member of the CIPD.

Practice Area

Ian specialises in employment law and advises employers in many different sectors and industries, from start-ups to multinational businesses, as well as public sector and not for profit organisations.  He also advises employees, directors, groups of workers and their representatives. 

Ian advises and supports employers and employees through disciplinary action, grievances, performance issues, sickness absence, equal opportunities and discrimination, redundancies and restructuring, TUPE, data protection and regulatory law, and with settlement agreements.  He often presents cases in Employment Tribunal hearings.  Ian has also defended Nurses in professional conduct proceedings before the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Highlights

• Successfully defending a care business from claims including unfair dismissal which placed their good standing with the Care Quality Commission at risk.
• Advising several hundred employees of a large employer on settlement agreements during a series of factory closures.
• Presenting a test case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg, on the calculation of holiday entitlement for workers on variable hours.
• Coordinating a multinational redundancy programme for an IT company, to comply with the laws of several countries.
• Winning an injunction restraining former employees and directors of an insurance broker from taking and using confidential information to set up a rival business.

Qualifications

Solicitor

Reporting to

Head of Employment Services Department: Paul Roberts

Interests

Ian has been a committee member of local branches of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development for the last decade.  He is a devoted husband and father of three sons, and enjoys camping, swimming, and watching rugby (but not playing, as he can’t catch the ball).