The Employment Rights Bill (“ERB”), first introduced in October 2024 as part of the new Labour government’s “Make Work Pay” initiative (see our previous article on this here), is edging closer to becoming law. Once passed, the ERB will implement radical changes affecting all UK employers for many years to come.

Initially expected to pass in summer 2025, the ERB has undergone numerous amendments, which have now pushed it back to at least the end of 2025 (potentially passing any day now).

Click here to read the full alert on cov.com.

Photo of Chris Bracebridge Chris Bracebridge

Chris Bracebridge specialises in advising multinational employers on international employment and global mobility matters, including complex transactional issues and senior employee retention and termination arrangements. He co-heads a Global Workforce Solutions team providing the employment, benefits, tax and immigration advice required in these…

Chris Bracebridge specialises in advising multinational employers on international employment and global mobility matters, including complex transactional issues and senior employee retention and termination arrangements. He co-heads a Global Workforce Solutions team providing the employment, benefits, tax and immigration advice required in these complex situations. A keen advocate for increasing the diversity of the legal profession, Chris also leads the London office’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.

Chris’ UK domestic practice comprises contentious, commercial and advisory employment experience. He advises on the HR aspects of company and business acquisitions and disposals, and outsourcing transactions, represents major employers in dismissal, discrimination, and whistle-blowing cases, and advises corporate clients on the full range of day-to-day employment issues (in particular, listed company executive departures), as well as data privacy and pensions matters.

Covington’s Employment team was shortlisted for three UK national awards in 2014/2015. Mr. Bracebridge was shortlisted for Assistant Solicitor of the Year 2009 by The Lawyer magazine. He has gained valuable in-house experience whilst on secondment to two global financial institutions – a major U.S. investment bank and a leading UK bank.

Chris regularly trains and presents to clients and external organizations and writes articles for both the legal press and client publications. He has spoken at events and conferences in the UK, U.S., and Europe on a range of issues such as global mobility, executive departures, redundancy, gender pay gap reporting, data protection and transfers of undertakings.

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Photo of Antonio Michaelides Antonio Michaelides

Antonio Michaelides advises clients in heavily regulated sectors on a broad range of cross-border regulatory and compliance matters, with a particular focus on Europe and the Middle East. He has particular expertise in helping clients navigate international HR-legal compliance issues—including labor laws, international…

Antonio Michaelides advises clients in heavily regulated sectors on a broad range of cross-border regulatory and compliance matters, with a particular focus on Europe and the Middle East. He has particular expertise in helping clients navigate international HR-legal compliance issues—including labor laws, international equity compliance and immigration matters—and frequently helps multinationals find solutions to their most complex global employment and benefits challenges.

Antonio is a member of our Global Workforce Solutions team, which brings together various practice areas to provide the employment, employee benefits, tax, immigration and other advice required in these complex situations, and advises clients across a range of industries on both larger strategic projects arising out of company restructures and global mobility arrangements, and day-to-day HR-legal matters.

Antonio has extensive experience with government affairs and regulatory matters in the Middle East—advising government entities, as well as private companies, on a variety of regulatory infrastructure and compliance issues. He previously advised free zone authorities in the Emirate of Dubai on employment and immigration matters, including amendments to the DIFC Employment Law and the application of the DMCC Employment Regulations, and is currently advising on the development of legal and regulatory infrastructure for a number of government-led projects in Saudi Arabia.

Given his EU law expertise, particularly in the areas of free movement of people and establishment, Antonio is a member of the firm’s Brexit Taskforce which is advising a range of clients on the impact and implications of Brexit.

Clients appreciate his responsiveness and business-focused advice, and benefit from his cultural awareness and extensive language skills in the context of managing international projects.

In addition, Antonio has presented, and provided training, to clients and external organizations on the challenges of international assignment management and other common global mobility issues.

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Photo of Richard Rowlands Richard Rowlands

Richard is an associate in the Employment and Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Groups. He advises clients on complex/litigious HR-issues, global employment aspects of mergers & acquisitions and increasing cross-border regulatory employment law compliance for multinational companies, among other things.

Richard has…

Richard is an associate in the Employment and Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Groups. He advises clients on complex/litigious HR-issues, global employment aspects of mergers & acquisitions and increasing cross-border regulatory employment law compliance for multinational companies, among other things.

Richard has assisted some of the world’s largest companies with overhauling their methods for engaging institutional and individual consultants, as well as designing key internal policies. Having spent six months on secondment at a large pharmaceutical client, Richard understands and is well equipped to deal with the problems that clients in highly regulated industries face.

Richard is committed to pro bono work. He has worked on a wide variety of matters, including those relating to charity, environmental and immigration law.

Richard is a co-founder and co-lead of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Book Club.

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Photo of Salena Mann Salena Mann

Salena Mann is an associate in the Employment and Employment Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Groups in the London office. Salena advises clients on contentious workplace matters, international employment considerations in corporate transactions, and multi-jurisdictional compliance with employment regulations.

Salena has supported global…

Salena Mann is an associate in the Employment and Employment Benefits and Executive Compensation Practice Groups in the London office. Salena advises clients on contentious workplace matters, international employment considerations in corporate transactions, and multi-jurisdictional compliance with employment regulations.

Salena has supported global organisations in designing their internal policies and rethinking their approach to engaging key individuals within their organizations. She also has experience advising on employment matters involving data privacy considerations.

Salena is committed to pro bono work and has provided immigration law advice to several families seeking leave to remain in the UK.

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