Paula Squire

Paula is a Partner and Head of the Taunton Employment Team. Under Paula’s leadership her team holds the prestigious ranking of Band 1 for Employment in the South West by the Legal 500 directory, with Paula listed as a recommended lawyer.

Paula has specialised in all aspects of employment law and human resources advice and has done so for over 19 years. Paula is described by her clients as “just fantastic” and as providing “excellent service and accurate advice”. Paula is a skilled negotiator achieving great results for her clients.

Paula advises on both contentious and non-contentious issues for a wide range of clients and sectors including education, charities, construction, agriculture and retail. She provides day-to-day employment support for SMEs and large organisations with the same diligence and excellence. Whether locally or dealing with global cross boarder issues, Paula is results driven and strives to work within all budgets to get the desired outcome.

Paula regularly advises on disciplinary and grievance matters, redundancies, managing employee issues, disability matters, corporate and commercial property support on business sale agreements and TUPE, often advising on complex issues of enforceability of post termination restrictions, board-room issues and disputes.

Paula has extensive experience handling complex and litigious employment tribunal proceedings whether through mediation, litigation or appeal. She also advises individuals and claimants on complex employment issues, exits, settlements agreements with very successful outcomes. Paula is well regarded for dealing with executive issues commercially to achieve sizeable compensation.

Paula advises on employment related data protection issues and has assisted many clients adapt to the GDPR and now UK GDPR together with handling many disputes arising from data protection rights including subject access requests.

Paula joined Clarke Willmott LLP in 2003 following her studies at the University of Sussex and the University of California, Berkeley, having spent time living in the United States and France. Paula is a member of the Employment Lawyers’ Association. She is a regular speaker at conferences and offers in house training sessions alongside her regular Employer networking groups.

Experience

• Managed multi-party Tribunal actions, complex litigation issues, including sizeable discrimination and whistleblowing claims.
• Assisted a Local Authority to successfully navigate a complex discrimination claim running over a number of years.
• Assisted in the education sector managing multiple academy conversions, same sex-school issues and teaching staff disciplinary matters.
• Assisting national recruitment businesses, veterinary practices and insurance companies with the enforcement of restrictive covenants.
• Providing strategic advice to various Boards including in relation to issues with potential reputational implications. Paula assisted in all aspects including drafting press releases.
• Advising and representing Education Trusts in Employment Tribunal cases (including multi-day hearings).
• Specialises in discrimination law, having represented numerous clients in disability, sex, race, sexual orientation and maternity and pregnancy discrimination, harassment, and victimisation claims. Paula provides pragmatic and compassionate advice.
• Providing assistance to SME’s; human resource professionals in large organisations; private schools; colleges; third sector employers including charities; National Farmers Union; veterinary practices; doctor’s practices; social housing; retail and construction clients and individuals/claimants nationwide.
• EAT appeals.