Jo Keddie

Jo is the Firm’s Senior Partner and Head of Employment and Partnerships. Jo specialises in all aspects of contentious and non-contentious employment and partnership law. She has a wealth of experience in providing strategic, pragmatic and commercial advice to a wide range of UK businesses, partnerships and individuals.

In Legal 500 2022 Jo is ranked in the ‘Hall of fame’ for her Partnership work, and is described as ‘an outstanding professional who always goes the extra mile for her clients.’ In Chambers UK 2021, Jo has been individually ranked in Band One in the ‘Partnerships – Contentious’ category and sources say that “her knowledge of the law is phenomenal.” She has also been described in Chambers 2021 as “truly outstanding; she demonstrates a deep understanding of employment law and very strong negotiating skills, underpinned by excellent communication, and “Clients laud the ‘extraordinarily responsive’ Jo Keddie for her ‘exceptional commitment’ to cases, saying she is ‘always ready to help and will always deliver’.” In Legal 500 2020 sources say: “Jo Keddie knocks it out of the park – she is fearless and strong, works incredibly hard and produces results” and is described as having “the rare combination of a first class mind and really good instincts.”

Jo focuses on providing solutions driven and incisive advice to her clients within clear timescales. She maintains a focussed and realistic approach to her clients’ objectives and has a strong reputation for achieving the best outcome for clients through perseverance and skill in a broad range of complex and contentious workplace issues.

She has substantial experience of representing clients in the High Court and Employment Tribunals where she works closely with clients to devise litigation strategies to meet their aims and objectives. Jo also has a wealth of experience in conducting and advising in relation to highly complex and sensitive investigations, particularly in relation to organisations and individuals who are subject to regulation in the legal, accountancy and financial sectors.  She also has significant expertise in arbitration processes including expedited arbitrations where urgent cases demand swift decisions.

Jo acts for a number of corporate employers and professional partnerships covering all of their employment and partnership needs. She regularly advises on boardroom disputes; sensitive and complex investigations; whistleblowing disclosures; restructuring and redundancies; performance, discrimination and departure issues; and employment policies and procedures.

She also has considerable experience in acting for executives and partners in financial institutions, professional partnerships, private equity funds and insurance firms with a particular focus on handling high value discrimination claims; senior executive and partner severances; compliance with regulatory obligations; team departures; whistleblowing; bonus claims; restrictive covenants; wrongful and unfair dismissal; and changing terms and conditions of employment.

Jo has also led regulatory bodies, partnerships and other corporate clients through complex external and internal investigations involving serious issues (often of public interest) that have required extremely sensitive, pragmatic and compliant advice as well as focussed outcomes if disciplinary and regulatory sanctions are likely to be imposed.

Recent Experience

• Acting for several FTSE 100 C-Suite clients and Fund Managers in respect of their high value (often seven figures) and often complex departure terms.
• Acting for a number of City law firms, financial institutions and SMEs in successfully defending claims for unfair dismissal, whistleblowing, race and religious discrimination, sex discrimination/harassment and age discrimination.
• Acting in high value team and individual moves in the professional services, financial and pharmaceutical sectors (often involving High Court proceedings or arbitral proceedings).
• Representing individual Partners in general partnerships and limited liability partnerships in relation to discrimination, whistle blowing and bad faith situations often involving the successful negotiation of high value and dignified departure terms.
• Acting for regulatory bodies in relation to investigations, internal audit and governance matters.

Professional Memberships

• Law Society of England and Wales
• Employment Lawyers’ Association
• Association of Partnership Practitioners
• London Solicitors Litigation Association