Meet the Team
Geoffrey Bignell
Solicitor
Geoffrey is one of the UK’s leading employment lawyers. He read economics and theology at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He passed all the Law Society’s qualifying examinations in a year and trained with John Hayes CBE, at Nottinghamshire County Council.
After qualifying as a solicitor, he worked with Nottinghamshire Police, Leicestershire County Council and Warwickshire County Council, where he was the Principal Solicitor. He moved on to become Assistant Secretary-General (Management) at The Law Society of England and Wales, responsible for a £50 million turnover, as well as IT and human resources for 700 staff. He was also chief executive of Law Society Services, running the Society’s publishing, conference and commercial activities.
He founded Just Employment in 1999 for ‘the best job ever’. He has an enviable success record winning fourteen consecutive cases in employment tribunals as widespread as Cardiff, Birmingham and Ashford, as well as in the Employment Appeal Tribunal. He acted for the claimant successfully in the first recorded claim for religious discrimination. He is the Surrey Law Society’s lecturer in employment law and often leads workshops and seminars for employers, where he is particularly skilled at putting complex information into context. Personal testimonials include ‘Very helpful’ (Samsung Electrics),‘ Very interesting and pertinent to what I need to know’ (Roffe Swayne) and ‘The lecturer was excellent in all respects’ (Lancasters). He recently ran workshops on GP Commissioning for the Royal College of General Practitioners.
He has contributed to books and articles on employment law for, amongst others, the ‘Times’, ‘Sunday Times’, ‘Observer’ and ‘Law Society Gazette’. His radio broadcasts include the BBC’s ‘The World Tonight’, BBC Southern Counties and Eagle Radio. Several of his claimant clients have appeared on national television, including ITV1’s ‘GMTV’ and BBC’s ‘Moneybox’.
Outside employment law, he was a non-exective director of companies in the transport and media sectors. His voluntary work included roles as a charity trustee, and as vice-chairman of George Abbot, a 2000 student comprehensive school, and of Guildford College for Further and Higher Education. He was vice chairman of the Rail Passengers Committee for Southern England. He is a member of South West Trains Passenger Panel and chairman of his parish finance and property committee.
Outside work, his hobbies are gardening, railways and equity investment. He enjoys reading, theology and military history. His ambition is to write a popular theological book and devote time to tennis and bridge.
One of only a handful of solicitors in ‘Who’s Who’, Geoffrey has a wide experience in all areas of employment law. He is an advocate and member of the Employment Lawyers’ Association.
email: geoffrey.bignell@justemployment.com
James Haley
Solicitor
James was educated at George Abbott School in Guildford and Southampton University, where he read law. He started his career in the retail industry, before teaching English in Prague. He decided to become a solicitor, achieving a Commendation in the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law. He specialises in employment law, advising a wide range of employers and employees, and regularly appears in employment tribunals.
His recent work includes advising a London college on a large-scale restructuring and redundancy programme, helping a client to retain their job as the head of a local authority department by successfully contesting a gross misconduct dismissal procedure and securing a client six-figure compensation for dismissal from a multi-national utility company.
James is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.
email: james.haley@justemployment.com
Clare McDairmant
Solicitor
Clare read law at Glasgow University, going on to a Masters Degree in employment law at Leicester University. Before joining Just Employment, she specialised in advising employers on employment law and debt recovery. Clare also worked for insurance companies and individuals on personal injury claims.
She is an experienced practitioner in all types of employment law, including unfair dismissal and breach of contract. Her skills include drafting employment contracts and handbooks for employers; and advising employees on all aspects of their claims.
Her special interests are in redundancy and discrimination claims. Clare has a wide experience of advocacy, appearing regularly in courts and tribunals.
email: clare.mcdairmant@justemployment.com
Rachel O’Connell
Solicitor
Rachel qualified as a solicitor in 1997 and has specialised in employment law since that time. Before Rachel joined Just Employment in January 2009 she was part of the employment team at Lawrence Graham LLP in London where she spent several years.
Rachel has a particular interest in cases involving issues of discrimination. She has acted for several women based in the City in cases involving sex discrimination often resulting in significant settlements.
Rachel has acted for employers of all shapes and sizes from those with over 50,000 employees to those with only 10. She regularly trains employers and HR professionals on employment issues, including equal opportunities, bullying at work, how to manage poor performance and absences due to ill health.
For several years Rachel worked one evening per week as a volunteer for Islington law Centre, where she had an active case load. This led Rachel to being a finalist for the Young Solicitors Group Pro-bono Lawyer of the Year for two consecutive years.
Rachel also conducts her own advocacy at the Employment Tribunal and is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.
Outside work Rachel keeps very busy looking after her two young sons. When time permits she enjoys cooking, reading, Pilates and sailing. She hopes to complete the Day Skipper course one of these days.
email: rachel.oconnell@justemployment.com
Helen Phillips
Solicitor
Helen read Law and Economics at Leicester University before achieving a Commendation on the Legal Practice Course at Guildford College of Law. Helen trained with Just Employment and has experience in dealing with a range of employment law issues including unfair dismissal, discrimination and employment contracts and handbooks.
Helen is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association
email: helen.phillips@justemployment.com
Sam Swinstead
HR Consultant
Sam has been working as an HR Consultant since 2003; prior to which she had a varied career that has given her a broad experience on which to draw upon when supporting local businesses with the challenges of employing staff. Her career spans work in the housing and care sectors to the role of HR Manager in a small software business and after a brief stint in the USA, she was then contracted to work for an international blue chip company in both recruitment and employee development.
Sam has a Masters Degree in Business Psychology which fuelled her passion for people development and helping businesses to recruit, retain and train the best staff. A BSc in Psychology , Management Training and a Diploma in Coaching give Sam a broad skill base, and she has a firm commitment to her own continuing professional development which she maintains through running a professional development forum for HR and training specialists. Outside work, she has recently discovered that she actually doesn’t mind exercise and particularly enjoys kick boxing!
Email: info@justemployment.com
Peter Wilford
Career Coach and Career Management Specialist
Peter has a background in Human Resources and Training of over 30 years. His wide experience includes financial services in the City (Charterhouse PLC, Noble Group), oil (Texaco), telecommunications (Cable and Wireless) and construction and engineering (Biwater, Trafalgar House/Kvaerner).
Peter moved from employment to set up his own business and retrained enhancing his skills and expertise. He ran a niche consultancy providing tailored HR/Training solutions to SME’s and mid cap organisations undergoing change and has managed a portfolio career. As a Career and outplacement consultant he delivers one to one coaching and group support to the corporate and private markets. He is BPS accredited for testing and assessment and is a Fellow of the CIPD.
Peter has worked with organisations across most business sectors, private and public and at all levels from graduates and others entering the job market for the first time to those with many years experience looking to make a career move, discover new options and avenues including self employment or identify, develop and utilise their broader transferable skills, mid career.
He works with professionals at all levels from shop floor to boardroom. His clients include lawyers, surveyors, engineers, architects, sales and finance specialists, teachers, marketing, advertising, PR and media executives and those from entertainment and broadcasting and in local government and charities. He has worked with and mentored many HR and Training specialists.
Email: info@justemployment.com
Marilyn Goddard
Team Secretary
Marilyn is an experienced secretary who has been with Just Employment for several years now after Geoffrey Bignell rescued her from a solicitor in Camberley notorious for his high staff turnover: “Geoff was, literally, an answer to my prayers.” As a member of the post-war baby-boom generation she is delighted by the new Government’s removal of a mandatory retirement age. Her chief interests are history, reading and garden plants.
E-mail: marilyn.goddard@justemployment.com
Helen Guy
Financial Services
Helen is the most recent member of Just Employment having joined in July 2010. Graduating with a Maths & Computing degree at University, Helen has been involved in legal financial software since 1999 both on the development & user side. Initially responsible for developing legal accounts & case management software, Helen has now retrained in book keeping and provides financial services to Just Employment part-time, the remainder of her time being spent trying to keep up with her young daughter.
Email: helen.guy@justemployment.com
Cara Hughes
Paralegal
Cara has recently joined Just Employment as a paralegal, providing secretarial support to the team. She has just completed the Legal Practice Course at the College of Law in Guildford and prior to that she read Law at the University of Kent. She is enjoying putting her studies to practical use at Just Employment. Her interests include baking, swimming and watching football.
Email: cara.hughes@justemployment.com
