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About Bettina

Bettina is a Partner and specialises in employment and partnership law.

She has long-standing experience in providing commercial and strategic advice to a range of UK and multinational businesses and professional service firms, as well as senior executives, founders and partners.

In Chambers & Partners 2023 Bettina is individually ranked in Band One in the ‘Partnerships – Contentious’ category and is also ranked as a leading individual for her work for Senior Executives. Sources describe her as “an extremely knowledgeable employment adviser. She is always over the detail and provides commercially focused expert advice. She ensures that her clients receive timely, thought-through and commercial legal advice” and “Bettina is an excellent lawyer. She is strong and commercial.”

Bettina is recommended in Legal 500 2023 – Partnership and described as a “a knowledgeable and impressive lawyer” and “empathetic and commercial and she makes a very difficult situation easier to handle.”

Bettina has also been recognised by Who’s Who Legal: Labour and Employment for 2021 and by Best Lawyers® in the 11th edition of the Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom for Employment law 2022.

Bettina has a wealth of experience in providing contentious partnership law advice to both partners and LLP members, as well as to professional service firms. Bettina has extensive experience in advising on restrictive covenants and team moves and negotiating partner exits, both in the legal and financial services sectors, as well as advising in the context of discrimination and whistleblowing complaints. Bettina regularly advises on misconduct investigations (including sexual harassment and misconduct and bullying allegations). She also acts as independent investigator, conducting the investigation process and related interviews, and compiling the investigation report, including recommendations.

Bettina provides contentious and non-contentious employment law advice to multinational employer clients. She specialises in providing day-to-day UK employment law advice to multinational employer clients on risk and strategic HR issues relating to their UK workforce, particularly in relation to internal investigations, disciplinary and grievance procedures, whistleblowing and discrimination claims and exits, as well as restructuring and redundancy exercises. She also regularly advises senior executives and founders in relation to their potential legal claims, negotiated departures and contractual terms.

Bettina is bilingual in English and German and acts for many German multinationals with UK operations, and German senior executives (advising them in German).

Professional Memberships

  • Employment Lawyers’ Association
  • European Employment Lawyers’ Association
  • Association of Partnership Practitioners
  • Member of the German British Chamber of Commerce
  • Law Society of England and Wales

Recent Experience

Employment

  • Providing legal and tactical advice to the trustees of a Charity to procure the departure of their Chief Executive Officer on favourable agreed terms, in the context of bullying allegations and long-standing performance concerns
  • Acting for the former Chief Executive Officer, founder, employee and shareholder of an Events Agency in High Court proceedings brought against him by his former company, for alleged breach of restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations
  • Advising the Chief Executive Officer of an international storage and supply business in the context of a share sale of the Group to new US owners and providing further advice on restrictive covenant obligations in the context of possible future roles

Partnership

  • Advising a US law firm on the legal position and strategic approach to mitigate risk in the context of a team acquisition from a competitor firm.
  • Advising a partner of a US law firm following the issue of notice and being placed on garden leave and assisting to negotiate a partial release from client restrictive covenants to assist with securing a new position
  • Advising a senior equity partner of an international law firm to successfully resist moves by the firm to secure an early retirement from the equity

Pro bono

  • Bettina provides longstanding ongoing pro-bono employment law advice and support to domestic violence charity, Refuge

Career Experience

2018 to present: Partner, Winckworth Sherwood

2006 to 2018: Partner, CM Murray LLP

2004 to 2006: Solicitor, Hammonds

1999 to 2004: Solicitor, Fox Williams

“I appreciated Bettina’s responsiveness and calmness as well as her wise words on dealing with matters”

Chambers, 2019

‘An efficient, well-organised team. Jo Keddie and Bettina Bender were very responsive to the needs of the case as it developed.’

Legal 500 2022

“The arrival of Bettina Bender has given the team considerable depth and breadth in contentious partnership law matters; she is a measured, experienced and knowledgeable practitioner.”

Legal 500 2020

“calm and unflappable…really knows her stuff”

Chambers & Partners 2020

She’s absolutely superb; she explains the law in a clear, straightforward way, is very reassuring and is very knowledgeable…She is a great lawyer; her legal advice is brilliant.

Chambers 2021

“Picks up the key issues in cases very quickly”

Chambers, 2019

The “excellent” Bettina Bender is well versed in contentious partnership matters, including team moves, misconduct investigations and partner resignations. She wins praise from sources for her “pragmatic and open” approach to sensitive negotiations and disputes.

Chambers 2021

“Excellent”

Chambers, 2019

“At the top of her game; an excellent employment lawyer who is very precise and to the point”.

International Who’s Who Legal: Labour & Employment 2018 edition

Bettina Bender is well versed in contentious partnership matters, including team moves, misconduct investigations and partner resignations. She has experience acting for both firms and individual partners. “She’s very concise, very pragmatic and very level-headed.” “She is fantastic.”

Chambers 2022

“She is great to work with. She is very user-friendly, pragmatic and fights her client’s corner.” “She is really proactive and entrepreneurial.”

Chambers 2022

Upcoming Events

Tuesday 23 April 2024 | 9.30 - 10.00am

Quarterly Immigration Law webinar series

At this quarterly update our immigration expert, Younes Ech-Chadli, will cover the new rules for skilled workers and families that[…..]

Online.


Speakers: Younes Ech-Chadli

Tuesday 10 September 2024 | 9.30 - 10.00am

Quarterly Immigration Law webinar series

At these quarterly updates our immigration expert, Younes Ech-Chadli, will cover all the immigration law changes happening as the year progresses.[…..]

Online.


Speakers: Younes Ech-Chadli

Tuesday 26 November 2024 | 9.30 - 10.00am

Quarterly Immigration Law webinar series

At these quarterly updates our immigration expert, Younes Ech-Chadli, will cover all the immigration law changes happening as the year[…..]

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Speakers: Younes Ech-Chadli