The Annual Em
Law Conference 2026
Delivered in partnership by
2026 Keynote Speaker
Sean Jones KC
11KBW Chambers
Sean is a Specialist Employment Silk and the General Editor of Tolley’s Employment Handbook. He is “widely-regarded as one of the leading Employment lawyers in the UK” having been instructed by and against some of the biggest employers in the country including Amazon, Easyjet, Tesco, HMRC, and the BBC, as well as a number of Premier League football clubs and other national sporting bodies.
Described “as clever as he is creative”, “astute and super bright” with “an encyclopaedic knowledge of employment law” and “an extraordinary ability to present complex arguments simply”, Sean has "taken up residence in the Supreme Court on every employment case going" covering everything from equal pay and pension disputes through to dismissals, whistleblowing claims, restrictive covenant disputes, and industrial action cases.
Tel: 020 7632 8500
Event Speakers
Read more about the 2026 event speakers below.
Gillian Harrington
Partner, Pinsent Masons LLP
Gillian Harrington is a Partner in the Employment & Reward team of Pinsent Masons, based in Aberdeen.
Gillian advises clients, primarily within the energy sector, on all aspects of UK employment law, both contentious and non-contentious, including strategic advisory work and representation in complex disputes. She also has particular expertise in TUPE, business protection, restructuring, and transactional support.
Gillian is recognised for her pragmatic approach and sector knowledge, supporting clients through transformational change and day-to-day workforce challenges.
Tel: 07435 740768
Sarah Munro
Partner, Pinsent Masons LLP
Sarah is a Partner at multinational law firm Pinsent Masons LLP. Sarah has over 19 years’ experience advising clients on all aspects of UK employment law, both contentious and non-contentious. She works with a number of key clients, particularly in the Energy and Shipping sectors, advising on disciplinary and grievance issues; whistleblowing and internal investigations; senior exits; TUPE; drafting employment contracts, policies, seafarer employment agreements and collective bargaining agreements; advising on restructuring/change projects and trade union issues.
Sarah leads a global team of lawyers specialising in supporting clients with complex and sensitive investigations. Sarah also has a particular interest in employment litigation and has successfully represented clients at tribunal hearings across the UK in the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal. One of Sarah’s areas of expertise is advising shipping clients on maritime labour law and she is an active member of the Chamber of Shipping's Employment Committee. Sarah is also a member of Pinsent Masons’ Climate Change and Sustainability board discussing with clients the HR issues around energy transition, climate change and ESG.
Tel: 07584 175740
Claire Scott
Partner, Burness Paull LLP
Claire leads the oil and gas sector and is a partner in the employment team. Claire is rated in Legal 500 and Chambers and was awarded Employment Lawyer of the Year by Legal 500 and is listed as a Leading Partner.
Claire has a proven track record in helping employers navigate sensitive and high-profile disputes. Claire provides advice to boards and advises on complex employment tribunal litigation in particular discrimination and whistleblowing cases, investigations, and trade union disputes and industrial action. Claire provides commercial and expert advice on strategic projects such as restructuring, redundancy, outsourcing, and TUPE and has led some of the largest and most high-profile change projects in the UK.
Tel: 01224 261229
Lisa Byers
Partner, Burness Paull LLP
Lisa is a Partner in the employment team, advising on all aspects of employment law, with a particular focus in complex and high-profile employment litigation.
Lisa specialises in discrimination, whistleblowing and equal pay, with particular expertise in the complex and sensitive area of protected beliefs in the workplace. She works closely with clients to navigate challenging workplace situations involving competing rights and legal obligations and had been instructed in high-profile cases in this area. Lisa also has significant experience advising on cross-jurisdictional employment issues, business reorganisations, complex workplace investigations and also assisting organisations with the development of effective diversity and inclusion strategies
Tel: 01224 261243
Lisa Taylor
Senior Associate, Burness Paull LLP
Lisa is a senior associate in the employment team and regularly advises clients in the offshore and marine industry. Lisa deals with all aspects of employment law including advising clients on complex working time and holiday pay queries, and cross-border jurisdictional matters. Lisa regularly advises clients on business transfers, change projects and reorganisations and has been heavily involved in advising clients on new legal changes including the offshore weight limits regime.
Lisa is a member of the Society of Advocates in Aberdeen and the Employment Lawyers Association. She is also registered as a Notary Public with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Tel: 01224 618561
Laura Kenmure
Senior Associate, Burness Paull LLP
Laura is a senior associate in the employment team. She advises on a wide range of workplace issues including unfair dismissal, discrimination, industrial relations, restructures and redundancies, settlement agreements, and TUPE. Having acted for both claimants and respondents, she offers balanced, strategic advice across contentious and non-contentious issues.
Tel: 01224 618591
Download the handouts
Click below to download a digital copy of the content from the event.
