Paul Maynard
Partner, Employment Law
Paul is a leading employment solicitor, who has a particular expertise in areas where there is often a cross over with other areas of law such as shareholder and partnership disputes, breaches of director and other fiduciary duties, the enforcement of post termination restrictions and the protection of confidential information and other intellectual property.
He has been involved in many of the leading business protection cases of the last two decades including Crowson Fabrics v Rider [2007] – preparatory steps to compete being in breach of the duty of fidelity; Whitmar Publications v Gamage [2013] – the first injunction to prevent misuse of LinkedIn contacts; Planon v Gilligan [2022] – the correct approach to the enforceability of a non-compete clause and Willow Oak Developments v Silverwood [2006] – refusal to agree new restrictive covenants can justify dismissal.
He has been instructed in many other cases that have been resolved successfully before judgment, including a long running business diversion claim by the F3 Group against two former directors, which settled for a substantial sum following successful applications for injunctions and specific disclosure. Paul is regularly sought out just to advise on business protection issues in the context of both disputes and transactions, having authored the UK chapter of a leading international textbook on the subject for the Centre for International Legal Studies in Salzburg.
Paul takes pride in achieving innovative solutions to help businesses and business owners resolve their problems. He is regularly instructed in respect of partnership exits, derivative claims and unfair prejudice petitions, utilising his experience of both employment and commercial law to unlock often the most intractable disputes.
Many employers, including some large London law firms, have Paul on speed dial to help with any of their employment law needs, whether it is to implement a workforce restructure, to undertake an independent investigation, to assist in a disciplinary or grievance process or to tenaciously defend an employment tribunal claim. Additionally, he is frequently instructed by schools and other educational establishments in both the private and public sector, care homes, dental practices and GP surgeries including their federations, occupational health providers and large employers in the tech and engineering sectors. Paul also represents senior executives, professionals and those from the sporting and media world.
Upon qualification in 1998, Paul was awarded the Law Society’s National Prize for Outstanding Achievement and in 2006 was awarded a master’s degree in advanced employment practice with distinction from De Montfort University. He is one of the few lawyers in the country to successfully challenge the UK Government in the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
Contact
Tel: 01323 435900