Lorna Hughes

Associate

Biography

Lorna is an Associate in the Employment Team, providing advice to employers and employees on workplace issues and disputes. Lorna trained at Ashfords and qualified in 2018. 

Lorna provides day-to-day advice to employers and HR professionals in a number of sectors, including the retail and care sectors, as well as drafting contracts and policies. She is experienced in representing both businesses and individual employees in litigation, including a wide range of claims in the Employment Tribunal, from unfair dismissal through to complex discrimination and whistleblowing matters. 

Restrictive covenants and matters concerning protection of business interests are also a key part of Lorna’s work, including drafting and enforcement of restrictive covenants and confidentiality provisions. Lorna advises clients from the pre-action stage through to trial.

Lorna is recognised in the Legal 500 (2023 and 2024 editions) as a Rising Star. 

Relevant experience

  • Various businesses: providing day-to-day advice on employee relations issues, drafting contracts and settlement agreements, defending claims in the Employment Tribunal and civil courts. 
  • Various individual employees: advising on employment rights, grievance/ disciplinary processes, settlement agreements and potential claims.
  • Financial services business: advising on and successfully defending a High Court restrictive covenant dispute, where the company was accused by their new recruit’s former employer of inducing the new recruit to breach various post-termination restrictions and contractual obligations. 
  • McDonald’s Franchisee: defending claims in the Employment Tribunal, including successfully appealing a decision on disability to the Employment Appeal Tribunal on the basis that the Tribunal had erred in taking the Claimant’s subjective beliefs into consideration and relied on the Claimant’s own lifestyle choices in finding that the conditions had an adverse effect on their ability to carry out day to day activities. 
  • Various businesses engaged in a business sale or purchase: supporting corporate transactions by reviewing due diligence and advising on employment risks in transactions, and guiding clients on TUPE obligations and consultation processes as part of asset sale transactions. 

Awards and Accreditations

6

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