Greenwoods appoints Jennifer Nicol head of employment

Greenwoods has strengthened its leadership in employment law with the appointment of Jennifer Nicol as Partner and Head of Employment, effective from 1 September. Based in the firm's London office, Jennifer brings over twenty years of experience in advising employers and senior individuals on a broad range of employment matters. Previously, she was an employment partner and head of the London office at Thackray Williams. Her expertise lies particularly in board-level and C-suite work, encompassing executive appointments and exits as well as senior leadership disputes, restructures, reorganisations, restrictive covenants, service agreements, and workplace investigations.

Jennifer also provides guidance on the employment aspects of corporate transactions, people policies, organisational values, and leadership training. Additionally, she addresses workplace mental health issues and handles contentious cases including complex discrimination, whistleblowing, and contractual claims, representing clients from the Employment Tribunal to the High Court. Her sector experience is extensive, covering banking, financial services, insurance, private equity, luxury retail, professional services, media, and the third sector.

In transitioning to this leadership role, Jennifer Nicol takes over from Keith Williams, who had been serving as interim head of the department and will continue in his capacity as Partner and Department Manager. Rob Dillarstone, CEO of Greenwoods, highlighted Jennifer’s valuable experience, stating “Jennifer has spent twenty years advising boards on difficult and sensitive people decisions. That is a particular kind of expertise, and it is not easy to hire. I am so pleased she chose to join us.” Keith Williams also expressed his enthusiasm for the appointment, saying “I have been leading the team on an interim basis, and I am pleased to welcome Jennifer as head of the team whilst I focus on my Department Manager role. I’ll be managing day-to-day operations while Jennifer sets the direction and grows the team. It plays to what each of us does best.”

Jennifer herself shared insight into her motivation for joining Greenwoods, explaining “Much of my work arrives after something has already gone wrong near the top of an organisation. The legal answer is often the straightforward part. The experience goes into working out how the organisation or executive gets through the issue, and what it looks like afterwards. I came to Greenwoods because it was obvious how much the firm wants this practice to grow, and because Keith Williams and John Macaulay have created something fantastic to build on.” The employment team at Greenwoods also anticipates further additions before the end of the year, alongside the recent appointments of William Marsh and Issy Mason as Associates.