High Court Employment Litigation

When employment disputes fall outside the scope of the Employment Tribunals, specialist High Court Employment Litigation advice and guidance is essential.

Why the High Court?

The High Court hears high‑value and complex civil cases, including those requiring urgent injunctive relief and dealing with serious breaches of contractual, statutory and / or fiduciary duties.

Employment Tribunals have exclusive jurisdiction over certain types of employment claim, however, certain employment disputes are dealt with by the High Court. They are often centred around team moves, confidential information and bonus disputes.

Team move disputes

1. Breaches of Duty (contractual, statutory and fiduciary): Senior employees and directors may owe additional duties to employers that can be breached if they coordinate or conceal a planned move
2. Restrictive covenant enforcement: Employers often turn to the High Court to enforce non‑compete, non‑solicitation and confidentiality restrictions
3. Springboard injunctions: Where employees obtain an unfair competitive advantage through an unlawful team move, the High Court can grant ‘springboard’ injunctions to restrict activity and prevent harm to the business
4. High‑profile multi‑party litigation: Large‑scale team moves can result in high-value and high-profile litigation against individuals accused of conspiracy.

Bonus disputes

Bonus disputes can be high-value and complex contractual disputes concerning:

• Discretionary Bonuses
• Long‑Term Incentive Plans (LTIPs)
• Carried Interest
• Equity‑Linked Awards.

These dispute frequently involve allegations of breaches of confidence and statutory and fiduciary duties.

How can we support you?

By advising both employers and individuals, we understand how each side approaches workplace disputes. This insight gives us a clear tactical advantage, and it’s why other law firms regularly instruct us or refer clients to us.

We are experts in employment disputes and provide focused, outcome‑driven guidance tailored to the commercial and legal complexity of High Court proceedings. This includes:

• Rapid strategic risk assessment in the earliest stages of a dispute
• Applications for urgent injunctions, including ‘springboard’ and restrictive covenant enforcement, where employers need urgent protection
• Robust defence against allegations of inducement, conspiracy and breach of duty
• Comprehensive and clear advice on confidential information, contractual obligations and statutory and fiduciary duties
• Assessment, and enforcement or challenge of bonus entitlements, including high‑value contractual, discretionary or shareholder‑linked awards
• Commercially aligned negotiation strategies, ensuring that legal action supports and aligns with your wider commercial objectives
• Clear, practical communication throughout, keeping complex legal issues accessible and guiding you to make confident decisions.

This integrated support ensures you are protected, your position is strengthened, and any dispute is handled with the authority, precision and commercial insight expected of High Court Litigators.