Michelle Morgan rejoined Gardner Leader on 17 February, marking an unusual homecoming for a partner who spent years building her reputation at Shoosmiths and BCLP. The move signals ambition for the Oxfordshire-based practice’s employment team, which added Morgan alongside Senior Associate Catherine Morris in a double hire announced Tuesday.
Morgan brings over 20 years in employment law. Not just experience—recognition. The Legal 500 Guide, the profession’s most closely watched directory, consistently lists her as a Recommended and Key Lawyer.
Her expertise spans the thorny end of employment work: senior executive exits that can unravel, M&As where employment liabilities lurk in due diligence, restrictive covenants that end up tested in court. She advises everyone from FTSE-listed corporates to regional businesses navigating redundancies, data protection concerns, and outsourcing arrangements. The work demands both legal precision and commercial instinct—knowing when to fight and when to settle.
Catherine Morris arrives from Knights, where she spent eight years across the firm and its predecessor practices. Her focus: employment litigation and dispute resolution.
That means tribunal proceedings, civil court claims, injunctions sought at speed. Morris also carved out a niche advising franchise networks, where employment status questions create headaches—are franchisees employees, workers, or genuinely self-employed? The distinction determines rights, costs, and exposure. She guides franchise clients through TUPE transfers, policy rollouts, and the procedural complexities that arise when business models don’t fit neatly into employment law categories.
The hires come as employment law grows more complex. Tribunal claims, flexible working requests, whistleblowing protections—the landscape shifts constantly, and HR teams struggle to keep pace.
“It’s fantastic to be returning to Gardner Leader,” Morgan explained. “It’s a law firm with an exceptional culture and a genuine commitment to supporting clients, whether they are a large multinational company or a local employer, through every stage of their journey. I look forward to adding my expertise to our highly experienced employment law offering and working with the team to deliver practical, commercially focussed advice that helps businesses navigate an increasingly complex HR landscape.”
The firm, founded in 1895, operates across the Thames Valley and southern England with offices in Newbury, Thatcham, Maidenhead, Windsor, Swindon, Oxford, and London. Over 200 staff work across nine specialist practice areas.
Morris noted the timing. “It’s great to be joining Gardner Leader at such a positive time for the firm,” she said. “Its strong reputation, collaborative culture and commitment to delivering exceptional client service really stands out. I’m looking forward to working alongside the team and helping our clients tackle the unique, evolving challenges and opportunities shaping today’s workplaces.”
Regional firms face a persistent challenge: competing for talent against City practices and national outfits like Shoosmiths, BCLP, and Knights—the very firms Morgan and Morris departed. The competition typically favours larger platforms with international reach and deeper resources. Yet Morgan chose to return, and Morris opted for a smaller, regionally focused practice.
What changed? Gardner Leader won LawNet’s ‘Law Firm of the Year’ award in 2024 for firms exceeding £6 million turnover—a title it previously claimed in 2016. The same year brought ‘Law Firm of the Year’ recognition at The Royal Berkshire Property Awards. Growth, in other words, with momentum behind it.
Vicky Schollar, Partner and Head of Employment at Gardner Leader, acknowledged the expansion. “The addition of Michelle and Catherine reflects the continued growth of our team,” she said. “Their combined expertise, strong commercial instincts and commitment to delivering outstanding client service and peace of mind will further strengthen our offering; ensuring we remain well‑placed to support businesses, employers and HR professionals from large corporate companies through to owner managed businesses with clear, strategic and forward‑thinking advice.”
The employment team now fields both contentious and non-contentious work—litigation expertise from Morris, transactional and advisory strength from Morgan. That combination matters when clients face tribunal claims whilst simultaneously negotiating a business sale, or when a senior departure threatens to derail a joint venture.
For Morgan, the return represents a calculated bet. Larger firms offer scale and brand recognition. Regional practices offer proximity to clients, faster decision-making, and—if the culture fits—a different quality of work life. She clearly concluded Gardner Leader had something worth coming back for.
Whether other employment lawyers follow the same path remains uncertain. But the double hire suggests Gardner Leader intends to compete aggressively for the region’s employment law work, going head-to-head with national firms that once seemed to hold all the advantages.
By year’s end, the employment team’s growth will either validate the strategy or reveal the limits of regional ambition. For now, two experienced solicitors have made their choice, and the firm has signalled its intentions clearly.
