Alex Watson | Fieldfisher
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Professional background

Professional background

I specialise in contentious employment work, director/shareholder disputes and exit strategies, national minimum wage compliance issues, outsourcing and TUPE and managing risk in employment relations. I regularly appear in the Employment Tribunal on behalf of employers.

Over the past decade I have gained expertise advising employers across all areas of employment law in a variety of sectors and transactions, including: multimillion-pound restructures, outsourcing arrangements, employment, and employee engagement strategies, international structuring (including TUPE considerations), employment aspects of corporate acquisitions and disposals and employee relations advice (including dismissal procedures, managing grievances, whistleblowing and safeguarding issues, redundancy processes, board and senior executive disputes and restrictive covenant enforcement).

I have particular experience and expertise in leisure and hospitality, retail, food manufacture, logistics and supply chain businesses, and sports law.

My experience in supply chains has involved me working with large, multinational brands in retail, manufacturers, and logistics, advising on pressing issues currently affecting the sector. This has included complex National Minimum Wage projects (see highlights below), employment status and IR35 planning in advance of the changes in April 2020.

I also act for a number of sporting bodies and organisations with a particular specialism in employment status – advising clubs in the Premier League and national sporting federations.

I take pride in providing practical "no-nonsense" strategic advice, understanding clients' objectives and taking a collaborative approach to achieve the desired outcomes. My objective is to be considered a key part of a client's team – not just another external lawyer.

In my spare time, I enjoy getting out on my road bike or following my true passion – Leicester City F.C
 

Awards & recognition

Awards & recognition

Client
Described as responsive, technically astute and highly commercial advice. I am particularly proud to have been described by a client as giving the most commercial legal advice they had ever received.

Authored pieces

All Resources
A woman wearing glasses and a business suit is holding a paper and speaking to another person across a desk in an office setting. The scene is viewed through a window, reflecting the cityscape outside.
Employment & Immigration
Insight

Should employers be considering whether to include tips in holiday pay?

23.09.2025
It is well documented that the combination of rising staffing and operating costs, coupled with skills shortages, means that the UK hospitality industry is currently facing tough challenges. This concerning trend looks set to continue following the potentially seismic impact of a recent case that determined whether tronc payments should be included in the calculation of workers' holiday pay: Palanki v The Big Table Group Ltd 3315213/2023 and 3304904/2023.
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A large magnifying glass focuses on paper cut-outs of human figures, each decorated with various letters and text passages. The background shows more paper figures out of focus, positioned on an open book, creating a scene with text and paper characters.
Employment & Immigration
Insight

What are the key changes to employment law with a Labour government?

02.07.2024
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A large magnifying glass focuses on paper cut-outs of human figures, each decorated with various letters and text passages. The background shows more paper figures out of focus, positioned on an open book, creating a scene with text and paper characters.
Insight

Firm but unfair: The risks of rigidity for employers

25.02.2022
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Abstract digital art featuring a 3D wavy landscape with vibrant colors of purple, pink, and blue. Numerous small data points and lines create a sense of motion and complexity, evoking themes of technology, data visualization, and modern digital landscapes.
Insight

Changes to the National Minimum Wage and the National Living Wage in the context of the Covid-19 Pandemic and a Shrinking Economy

26.03.2021
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Insight

The Northern Powerhouse: Will it still be a priority after lockdown?

01.06.2020
Fieldfisher corporate, brand and employment experts Tom Ward, James Corlett, Alex Watson and Simon Lafferty discuss the challenges and opportunities for businesses in the north of England post-Covid-19.  
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What others say…

Client
Described as responsive, technically astute and highly commercial advice. I am particularly proud to have been described by a client as giving the most commercial legal advice they had ever received.