Withers Worldwide

Overview

Helen is dual qualified in New York and England & Wales. Having spent a number of years in our London office, she is currently working from our New York office where she advises a range of both US and UK employers (including charities, luxury brands and financial services companies) on domestic and cross-border problems such as risk management, reputational issues, restructuring and contractual matters . She has successfully defended UK employers on a number of occasions in Tribunal proceedings for claims ranging from unfair dismissal to marital status discrimination, and has successfully assisted a US employer to defeat federal and state discrimination claims.

Helen also advises senior executives, both in the US and the UK, on a range of domestic and cross-border contentious and non-contentious matters, including the structuring of complex compensation packages, the development of exit strategies and the negotiation of severance agreements. Recent experience has included assisting in successful arbitration proceedings for the expungement of a U-5 before FINRA in New York, successfully negotiating the settlement of a sexual harassment and discrimination claim by a UK citizen against a US employer, and advising a senior executive on a move from a UK employer to a US competitor.

Publications and speaking engagements

• Author, "Whistleblower Bounty Provisions: The Dangers for Employers," published on Compliance Compliance Complete HR, part of Thomson Reuters Accelus, September 2011. 
• Author, "Wal-Mart discrimination ruling: a victory for US employers," first published on Compliance Compliance Complete HR, part of Thomson Reuters Accelus, June 2011. 
• Author, "Expansion of Disability Discrimination Protection in the US: Will This Lead to Increased Claims Against Employers?" Compliance Complete HR, Thomson Reuters Accelus, 2011. 
• Author, "Happy Thanksgiving?  Extending wide-ranging US discrimination laws to UK Employers," Compliance Complete HR, Thomson Reuters Accelus, February 2011. 
• Panelist, "Moving Across the Pond: Legal Considerations for Expanding to New York," London to NYC Forum sponsored by New York City Economic Development Corporation, December 2010.
• Author, "Have Faith in Your Dress Code Policy: British Airways and the Crucifix," Personnel Today, 2008.

Memberships

• New York Bar Association
• ABA Steering Committee for the International Employment Law Committee