David Parry

Partner

Manchester

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About me

I’m a partner and head of our Manchester Commercial Employment team, with particular experience and expertise in advising on complex and high-value business protection matters.

I regularly advise clients in relation to matters such as restrictive covenant disputes, the misuse of confidential information, team moves and other employee competition matters where urgent action is required.

Having built my practice over a period of more than 20 years, my client portfolio is wide-ranging, from multi-national household names through to owner-managed businesses. I’m highly experienced, well versed in the full range of employment law matters and pragmatic in my approach to finding solutions.

For me, it is essential to understand from the outset what my clients are aiming to achieve, so I can partner with them to find creative business-focused solutions to all their employment law needs.

Aside from my legal work, I am proud to be one of the firm’s mental health first aiders. Away from work, I have a young family that keeps me busy.

My experience

  • Advising a range of businesses on various business protection matters, including bringing and defending High Court proceedings for the enforcement of restrictive covenants and the protection of confidential information.
  • Undertaking a significant high-profile independent investigation on behalf of a household name retailer in relation to allegations of sexual harassment made against a board member.
  • Advising a NYSE-listed US manufacturing business on a large-scale redundancy exercise in consequence of the closure of a major UK manufacturing site.
  • Advising a FTSE 100 bank on complex employment matters, including the management of circa 100 Employment Tribunal cases and major outsourcing and offshoring projects.
  • Advising a global travel business on a cross-border outsourcing of services to the Philippines and an associated large-scale redundancy exercise.
  • Acting for a leading FTSE 250 fast moving consumer goods manufacturer on all employment law matters, including large-scale change management exercises and integration matters following a £3 billion merger.
  • Advising a local authority on a £34 million long-term outsourcing project, including the design and implementation of a complex retention of employment and secondment model.

My expertise

Employment and immigrationFinancial servicesProfessional servicesTechnologyTransport and logisticsCommercial disputesIntellectual propertyPublic lawInquiries and investigations

“David has a great legal brain alongside a commercially focused approach. He's brilliant at taking the legal complexities and communicating this in a way that non-legal people can understand. In short, he's a trusted partner!”

“I have worked with David, as our external Legal partner, for more than six years now. During this time he’s supported us with his extensive legal knowledge and commercial experience in a very wide range of OD and ER matters, as well as guiding us through the more complex areas associated with developing and managing graduate and apprenticeship schemes. His excellent level of guidance has included complex disciplinary cases and harassment and bullying complaints; sensitive ill health matters; managed exit strategies and OD projects including redundancy, varying contracts and TUPE. David has developed a great appreciation of our company, culture, people and our values and this enables him to expertly partner us, to achieve both commercially effective and legally compliant resolutions, acting with real pace, to reduce the impact on business, employees and cost. He challenges our thinking and develops pragmatic solutions with us. David also meets with us regularly to provide targeted employment law training to ensure that, as a HR Case Team, we’re equipped and enabled to effectively manage more ER and legal challenges ourselves.”

“I worked with David on a complex and sensitive commercial dispute between 2016 and 2017. David delivered invaluable advice and guidance, shaping our strategy and ensuring the right approach was taken that balanced business risk. Not only did David display in depth legal knowledge, he applied this with a calm commercial and economic head to ensure his guidance was the right fit for our business and our style.”

“I have worked with David for many years, during that time he has provided great expertise and technical advice on a number of matters relating to the talent programmes I lead. He is our trusted advisor and has guided us through the complexities of apprenticeships and graduates, partnered with us to develop bespoke toolkits and has supported us to build our in-house HR knowledge. He really understands our business and as a result is able to advise, challenge and help us to think differently.”

“David is one of the best commercially focused legal practitioners that I have ever worked with. He is able to understand what the business is facing, what it has done and what range of options need to be made available to secure the best outcome. David understood the business and got to know what my long term aims were and offered timely, accurate and invaluable advice to both myself and my team when needed.”

“Fast, concise and commercial advice. David has been like an extension of our in-house team.”

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