Andrew  Howard

Andrew Howard

Partner

Andrew is a Partner in our Employment Team at Travers Smith.

He advises clients on the full spectrum of global workforce issues across a range of sectors, with a particular focus on financial services, advising clients at the intersection of employment and financial regulations law. Andrew has considerable experience supporting clients with workplace investigations, employment disputes, and the employment aspects of corporate transactions, outsourcing and reorganisations. 

Andrew specialises in advising on, and undertaking, workplace investigations into serious allegations of workplace misconduct.  He also advises employers on complex employment disputes involving discrimination, whistleblowing, and restraint of trade.  

Andrew is experienced in advising on the employment aspects of transfers of undertakings, regulatory change projects, corporate reorganisations, and outsourcing.  He supports clients through the full project life-cycle, including advising on strategy and separation issues, undertaking due diligence, drafting and negotiating contractual terms, collective consultation processes, and post-deal activity including integration and harmonisation. 

Client secondments

  • Secondment to Micro Focus as Head of Labour Relations - the role involved coordinating the global labour relations team, working alongside the HR and employment legal teams, to advise on BAU and event driven issues including global reduction in force project and return to the office following COVID-19.  

  • Secondment to HSBC sitting in their global employment legal team reporting into the Global Head of Employment Legal. I had a busy and varied workload working with various teams across the bank. I worked with the bank’s regulatory, whistleblowing and investigations teams in relation to complex investigations involving multiple jurisdictions. I managed numerous employment tribunal and high court claims working with external counsel. 

Selected Deals*

Disputes and Investigations

Lead partner for a multi-year managed investigation service for a global investment bank, providing independent investigation services in relation to grievance, disciplinary, whistleblowing, and broader compliance investigations.

Advising an asset management business on a UK restructure, including a number of senior exits and headcount reduction, as well as advising on the retention strategy for key employees.

Advising a global professional services firm and a number of current and former partners in relation to an employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal, age discrimination, whistleblowing, and breach of contract claim.

Advising a global bank on its global investigations procedures and recommending changes to ensure more efficient, consistent and compliant processes.

Supporting a global technology business with their EMEA investigations, with a focus on bullying and harassment.

Advising a global food business on a group claim brought by 74 claimants, including an application for interim relief, for unfair dismissal in connection with trade union membership or activities, and claims for race and religion discrimination.

Advisory

Providing employment law support to a large insurer, supporting the client with their global employment law needs.

Advising the world’s specialist insurance and reinsurance marketplace on a post-Brexit regulatory change project involving designing and agreeing the employment and regulatory solution with the Belgium regulators and negotiating and implementing the market solution with 50+ managing agents.

Advising on a group restructure of a Japanese trading house’s EMEA business, including the closure of the EMEA HQ, multiple transfers of undertakings and employees, and redundancies.

Advising a global recruitment business on a redesign its global contractual framework with its clients and candidates, with a focus on simplicity and global consistency to drive a faster speed of contracting.

Advising a national restaurant chain throughout the COVID-19 pandemic on the management of its workforce. This included advice on furlough and the CJRS, changes to terms and conditions, and redundancies across 400+ sites.

Advising a Japanese technology business on a global headcount reduction project, including advising on strategy and employee information and consultation obligations.

Transactional

Advising a global insurance business on its strategic exit from Retail Commercial insurance, the subsequent sale of renewal rights and the closure of 12 international offices and associated redundancies.

Advising a Japanese global insurance business on the people elements of a large and complex post-acquisition integration project.

Advising on the people aspects of an intra-group Part VII transfer within a Japanese global insurance group. This involved advising on the employment law options regarding the approach to the Part VII transfer and key issues to consider.

Advising on a UK management restructure and merger of Japanese entertainment business’ UK subsidiaries, involving a transfer of employees, changes to terms and conditions and redundancies.

*Includes work undertaken at a previous firm

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