Laura Wharton

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Laura joined JMW in November 2020 as a Senior Associate in the Employment Department before becoming a Partner in 2022. Laura advises a wide range of clients from multi-national brands, SMEs to start-ups in all aspects of non-contentious employment law advice. 

Laura is recognised as a leading advisor in corporate employment transactions, sports employment law, and general advisory employment law, with a specific sector experience in advising clients in the hospitality and night-time economy, and retail sector. Laura works closely with the commercial transport team to provide a Partner lead service for their clients.

In the corporate arena, Laura is the lead Partner working with the firm’s corporate team to provide strategic counsel to businesses on employment issues, including navigating TUPE, during the due diligence piece on mergers and acquisitions. Laura also frequently advises high-net-worth individuals on their exit from a business.

In the sports arena, Laura’s work includes contractual negotiations on behalf of football players and coaches as well as negotiating settlement agreements and exit packages between clubs, athletes and executives. Laura is also adept at advising on general advisory work related to employment rights within professional sports and representing football clubs and other sporting bodies throughout Employment Tribunal litigation claims.

Laura has previously worked in private practice law firms in Manchester, as well as an in-house role in Warrington. Laura’s in-house role has enabled her to gain first-hand experience of employee HR issues, as well as the day-to-day mechanics of an operating company.

Laura has previously hosted a number of mental health and well-being seminars, in conjunction with a number of organisations, to promote awareness of employee well-being, and is spearheading the firm's Menopause awareness initiative on behalf of clients due to the increasing need for support in this area.