Emilie Cole

Emilie is highly competent and experienced in advising both employers and employees in the full spectrum of HR and employment issues.  She has a particular interest in whistle blowing and discrimination cases. 

With a wide portfolio of business clients, Emilie specialises in particular with charities, care homes, IT and pharmaceutical companies. She has successfully guided Employers and HR Directors on the effective use of grievance, disciplinary and redundancy procedures, thereby avoiding exposure to expensive tribunal claims. Emilie is experienced in drafting and advising on contracts of employment, bonus and commission plans, compromise agreements, HR policies, procedures and employee handbooks.

Emilie also enjoys championing the rights of individuals. She has successfully represented Claimants on a high value claims against large companies, namely airlines, food and beverage companies, car manufacturers and NHS trusts. 

Listed below are some of her key legal achievements since joining Bindmans:

• She negotiated a settlement of £200k for a secretary who had been sexually harassed by her manager, a senior partner at a well-known City law firm. They also agreed to pay for our client’s legal fees.
• She negotiated a settlement of over £200,000 for a sexual harassment and discrimination claim against a multinational pharmaceutical company.
• She achieved a severance package valued at over £1.7 million for the VP of a multinational pharmaceutical, who had been ousted on the grounds of his age.
• Currently representing a former senior black employee of a London Borough Council in the Employment Tribunal for Constructive Unfair Dismissal, Race and Sex Discrimination, highlighting their consistent failure to grade her to Assistant Director and properly remunerate her.
  Please click on the link below to view the press coverage:
  Former Camden Council official, Ronke Martins-Taylor, claims promotion snub ‘racism’, Camden new Journal, 25 March 2010.
• Representing an ex-Senior Director of an investment bank in her claim of Sex Discrimination and Unfair Dismissal. This case exposes a trend that has grown during the recession, of employers choosing to make female employees redundant rather than their male counterparts.

Emilie has also established a reputation for working with employees who have been posted abroad by their UK-based employers under employment contracts governed by the law of England and Wales but involve complex jurisdictional issues. 

Recent cases include:

• Over £150k for a sexual harassment claim against a senior manager by a female risk analyst posted in Germany.
• Over £250k for a senior director based in the Hong Kong as a result of attempts to fundamentally vary her terms and conditions of employment.

Emilie is committed to securing the best possible result for her clients and has recently developed a reputation for negotiating large severance packages on behalf of senior directors and high earning employees.

She has been quoted in both The Sunday Times and The Independent on employment law issues and is known as a thought leader and expert spokesperson in the field of employment law.

Emilie is a member of the Employment Lawyer’s Association and contributes to working parties and consultations on new legislation and developments in Employment Law.