Marie van der Zyl
Department Employment, pensions & immigration, Issues at work, Employer's Issues Qualified 1991 Education (University) Liverpool Polytechnic (currently known as Liverpool John Moore’s University)
Marie has over 27 years’ specialist experience of contentious and non-contentious employment law matters. Her clients include corporate entities and SMEs; religious institutions and charities; retail, fashion and leisure establishments, including clubs; media, PR and publishing organisations; and senior employees and partners in law firms. She has acted in a number of leading cases, including those involving the gig economy and self-employed status. Prior to joining the firm in 2014, she gained considerable partner experience at a number of other leading law firms, including as head of employment.
Marie is a trusted employment law advisor, with an established reputation and ability to deliver results for clients using her excellent strategic and legal skills. She has considerable commercial acumen and is very approachable.
Her expertise covers partnership issues, as well as the full range of employment law matters. These include business restructures and reorganisations (such as large scale redundancies, outsourcing and TUPE), unfair dismissal, team moves, enforcing restrictive covenants, handling dismissals and negotiating settlement agreements, breach of contract, and a range of day-to-day employment matters, ranging from disciplinary and grievance procedures, to performance management and sickness absence.
Marie has particular expertise in complex discrimination claims involving race, sex, disability and religion. Furthermore, she advises on child protection and diversity issues in the work place. She also delivers bespoke training to HR and line managers.
Marie is a Trustee for a number of charities and regularly speaks on radio and television.
Professional Associations & Memberships
Employer Lawyers Association (ELD)
What you may not know about Marie
Marie is also a Trustee of several charities and is the President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews
Accolades:
Chambers & Partners UK, Legal 500
My matter highlights
- Acting for 27 employees who successfully brought a class action against the National Gallery in relation to obtaining worker status. This case involved the gig economy in the public sector. Marie has previously successfully acted in another landmark case involving self employed v employee status acting for a well known Club.
- Advising and acting for several equity partners in negotiating their high level exits from well known law firms
- Advising a medical research institute in relation to staff who were on long term secondment from the NHS
- Advising a market governed by statute in relation to confidentiality issues and key staff dismissals.
- Advising an Australian multinational company in relation to TUPE issues.
- Advising a religious institution about terms and conditions of employment for their staff.
- Advising a charity which had been subject to an investigation by the Charity Commission, in respect of a reorganisation and disability discrimination issues.
- Advising a digital marketing company in relation to ongoing staff issues and a major restructure.
- Advising an international trade organisation in relation to the appointment of a Secretary General and Chief Executive.
- Advising a senior member of staff in relation to her exit from an organisation in the Leisure sector following a merger with another organisation.
My testimonials and accolades
My recent publications
News / Ince Gordon Dadds advises on Modus and BPCM merger
08-09-2017 /
IncenbspGordon Dadds has advised leading creative PR agency, Modus Publicity, on its merger with BPCM, the integrated brand agency to form ModusBPCM
