Overview
Katie Clark has significant experience advising on all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment matters. Katie’s client base spans multiple business sectors and includes global corporations, financial institutions, FTSE 100 companies, manufacturing companies, service providers and start-ups.
Katie is noted for her commercial approach to assisting clients to deal with employment issues ranging from day-to-day employee relations, to negotiating public limited company (PLC) board director contracts and significant business restructuring. Katie has particular experience litigating complex employment disputes, including relating to team moves, restrictive covenants, discrimination and whistleblowing. Katie also advises on the employment aspects of corporate transactions, including outsourcing deals and private finance initiative (PFI) projects, and has a thorough knowledge of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE).
Katie regularly develops and delivers in-house and client training seminars.
Results
- Advising a service provider on a number of multimillion/billion pound newsworthy, outsourcing deals
- Served as lead partner acting for the defendant in a significant, high-profile and business critical team poaching litigation
- Served as lead partner for a respondent to defend a high-profile race discrimination claim
- Acting for a respondent in a whistleblowing claim
- Served as lead partner acting for the respondent in a complex pregnancy and maternity litigation
- Served as lead partner advising a client on a cross-border incentive structuring and board reshuffle
Recognitions
- Chambers UK 2023, Employment: Employer
- Leader in her Field – Chambers UK 2012-2022. Katie is described as “responsive, dedicated and thorough.” A Chambers interviewee stated that she “quickly gets to the heart of an issue, and demonstrates a keen awareness of commercial need and the specifics of the sector in assessing available options and approaches.” She is further described as “an excellent lawyer; she stands out for her ability to combine technical mastery with practical advice, delivered in clear terms.” She is highly regarded for her “prompt, friendly but business-focused and solution-oriented approach.” She attracts acclaim for her responsive attitude and for providing “an excellent handle on each case,” and this is echoed by her skill in “articulating what clients need” to other relevant parties. Katie has been described as a “very effective” practitioner by sources, particularly for handling employment disputes and non-contentious issues. She is also described “as being ‘very responsive’ and for quickly getting to know the way clients think”
- The Legal 500 UK 2011-2014, 2016, 2017, 2020-2023. Katie is described as ‘tough, friendly, sensible, business focused and not theoretical. She manages to apply her deep knowledge in a way that helps the business – every time.’ She is also noted as pragmatic, ‘commercial and responsive’. ‘Katie impresses clients with her ability to “talk to different individuals in a very easy-to-understand manner.” She is described as “very knowledgeable, superbly responsive, and no-nonsense”. Katie is praised for her ‘direct, business-focused, sensible and realistic’ advice.
- The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom, Employment Law, 2022 – 2024
Community
- Employment Lawyers Association
Credentials
Education
College of Law, Guildford, 1995
Southampton University, LLB, 1994
Admissions
The Law Society of England and Wales, 1998
