The timing wasn’t accidental. As businesses brace for sweeping changes under the new Employment Rights Act, Inspire Legal Group has brought in reinforcements—an employment lawyer whose 12 years navigating workforce disputes includes a crucial stint inside the very organisations now facing upheaval.
Kate Walsh joined the firm’s Employment Law department this month. Her appointment marks the latest expansion for ILG following its 2025 merger.
What sets Walsh apart isn’t just her experience—it’s where she gained it. Most recently, she served as in-house employment counsel for a global organisation, a role that gave her front-row insight into how legal advice lands in boardrooms and HR departments. That dual perspective—understanding both the technical requirements and the commercial pressures—has become increasingly valuable as employment law grows more complex and business leaders demand solutions that actually work in practice.
The legal sector has seen a rush of strategic appointments in recent months. For ILG, the hire comes at a moment of momentum.
“We are delighted to welcome Kate to the team. Her appointment helps to mark a significant step in the continued growth of Inspire Legal. We had a great end to 2025 and are already facing a strong start to 2026. Kate is a great fit for the team. Her collaborative style and ability to balance technical legal issues with pragmatic business sense make her the ideal choice,” said Natalie Foster, Group CEO of Inspire Legal Group.
The firm’s confidence isn’t misplaced. Walsh arrives as ILG’s client base confronts a transitional period in employment law, with regulatory developments creating both risk and confusion for employers. Her consultancy background combined with in-house experience positions her to translate complex legal requirements into actionable guidance—the kind that prevents tribunal claims rather than merely defending them.
Hannah Strawbridge, ILG’s Head of Legal, emphasised the strategic timing. “Kate’s appointment is important to ILG as we head into a significant transitional period for employment law, with ongoing developments that will affect our clients. Her depth of employment law and HR knowledge will add so much value to the work we do, and she is already proving a pleasure to work with.”
In her new role, Walsh will advise across the full spectrum of employment issues. That ranges from complex discrimination claims—the kind that can define careers and cost organisations millions—to the day-to-day HR queries that, if mishandled, escalate into exactly those high-stakes disputes. It’s the breadth that matters: understanding how small procedural missteps compound into legal exposure.
The Employment Rights Act represents one of the most substantial shifts in workplace regulation in years. For firms like ILG, it’s both challenge and opportunity—clients need guidance, and they need it from advisers who understand how legislation translates into Monday morning decisions about restructures, dismissals, and workplace policies.
Walsh acknowledged the landscape ahead. “I am really delighted to have joined the ILG team and work with like-minded lawyers like Hannah. Everyone has been so welcoming, and I am enjoying working with some of ILG’s brilliant clients. With a turbulent period ahead due to the new Employment Rights Act, it is great to be part of a team navigating clients through the changes.”
Her choice to move from an in-house role to an advisory practice suggests confidence in ILG’s trajectory. In-house positions typically offer stability and singular focus; advisory roles demand agility across diverse client challenges. That she made the switch now—when her in-house expertise has peak value—signals she sees something in the firm’s post-merger momentum.
The 2025 merger that preceded Walsh’s arrival had already set ILG on a growth path. Adding experienced practitioners to handle increased demand follows a familiar pattern in professional services: merge to gain scale, then invest in talent to capitalise on it. What matters is execution—whether the expanded team can actually deliver the enhanced service that justified the merger in the first place.
For businesses navigating employment law in 2026, the calculus has shifted. The regulatory environment has tightened. Tribunal claims have grown more expensive to defend and settle. The margin for error in workforce management has narrowed. All of which makes the difference between competent and exceptional legal advice more consequential.
Walsh’s background suggests she understands that pressure from both sides of the table. She’s been the in-house lawyer receiving external counsel’s advice, assessing whether it’s practical or theoretical, whether it addresses the actual business problem or just the legal question. Now she’ll be the one delivering that counsel, armed with the knowledge of what actually proves useful when a CEO asks, “So what do we do?”
Whether ILG’s momentum continues depends on more than one appointment, however strategic. The legal market remains competitive, client expectations keep rising, and regulatory complexity shows no sign of easing. But hiring someone who’s navigated that complexity from inside client organisations—just as those organisations face substantial new challenges—suggests the firm understands the moment it’s operating in.
By year’s end, the Employment Rights Act’s full impact will be clearer. So will whether ILG’s strategic bets—the merger, the expansion, the targeted hires—position it to capitalise on the demand that turbulence creates.
