Phil Cookson

With many years experience, Phil's specialist areas of law are employment and regulatory crime with the majority of his clients from within the agricultural and food sectors.

Phil advises a range of businesses on employee situations, often dealing with serious disciplinary issues, restructuring at a senior level (including generational issues in a farming setting), TUPE, redundancy situations and contractual issues including restrictive covenants and notice periods. He also advises businesses and individuals on issues relating to the recruitment and management of senior-level employees and directors. Phil has extensive experience in handling Health and Safety, Environment Agency and other regulatory matters including prosecutions, investigations by authorities and incident management.

Phil is an engaging speaker and regularly delivers training sessions to employers within these and other industries either at open events or in-house to HR and senior management teams.

Phil's recent work includes:

• Advising a farming business facing the need to change its management structure to allow for a more modern operational approach. This involved the removal of long-standing employees with upwards of 30 years of service, tied accommodation and a desire by the employer to allow the employees in question to leave with “heads held high”. 
• Advising in respect of a TUPE transfer on a service change involving in excess of 250 employees at multiple sites.
• Advice on a potential Environment Agency prosecution of a high profile client with significant risks of adverse publicity. The process was managed to a conclusion without prosecution necessary. 
• Advice on a Health & Safety prosecution relating to asbestos in the property portfolio of a landed estate.