Simon is a partner and represents the firm on the Solent Committee of Business in the Community. He is also a trained mediator and in 2000 was appointed a part time judge of the Employment Tribunal.
He is a member of the firm's award winning advanced key client programme which looks at lessons to be shared across the firm, best practice emerging from key clients. Simon undertakes independent client service reviews.
In the last few years he has focussed on employment law advising on a range of issues with the primary focus being on brand sensitive claims, including discrimination and TUPE/outsourcing disputes. In particular he advises both board and senior executives on termination arrangements such as termination packages, the enforceability of gardening leave and confidentiality clauses, and restrictive covenants for businesses looking to protect their interests. With his background in commercial litigation he has experience in advising on director and minority shareholder disputes as well as employee fraud cases:
- advising the parent company on the potential fiduciary breaches of a founder director/shareholder including instructing Kroll to conduct an international investigation into the director's activities and ultimately his departure on terms protecting the business' interest and entitlements under the shareholder agreement
- acting as a moderator for a national organisation taking disciplinary action against 20 plus managers across the UK for activities leading to action being taken by the industry regulator and subsequently briefing the non-executive directors on the business' policies and procedures and their "fitness for purpose" for senior managers
- advising a rail infrastructure business on the TUPE implications of the Jarvis administration on contracts being reallocated at a time when the national infrastructure works programme had to be delivered without delay or interruption
- advising a ticket dotcom business on a dispute with a union over recognition and a claim under TUPE for a protective award following bringing in house a call centre facility, leading the negotiations with ACAS at conciliation meetings
He is key client partner for Royal Mail, Tube Lines Limited, Computer Associates and Antisoma Research plc. He is the lead employment partner for a rail infrastructure owner and operator, the Trainline.com and McCarthy & Stone.
As managing partner Simon led the management group during that period of the firm's expansion and has experience of all the issues arising out of mergers and reorganisations. Prior to becoming managing partner Simon ran our core commercial group services which were multidisciplinary. He has played a key role in developing the collaborative approach taken by Bond Pearce. His interest in this started when he chaired the cross firm DR committee of the Norton Rose M5 Group of firms whose members along with Bond Pearce were Norton Rose, Wragges, Addleshaws, Burges Salmon and Mills and Reeve. The relationship with Norton Rose continued when he headed the Bond Pearce team who worked with Norton Rose's corporate team on the privatisation of Devonport Dockyard following the placing of Trident in Plymouth. Later examples include the Royal Mail panel appointments and the rail infrastructure panel.