Birketts’ Employment Team has expanded with the arrival of Associate Solicitor and Employment Law Trainer, Jonathan Shevlane.

Jonathan spent the initial part of his career working at an international law firm, supporting employer clients across education, transport and technology sectors. More recently he worked for a social justice law firm where he supported union officers and workers in disputes with their employer. His past experience of representing employers and employees makes his delivering of Birketts’ range of employment law training uniquely effective.

Shaping Excellence is Birketts’ in-house employment law training programme, tackling day-to-day people management and HR issues frequently encountered by businesses of all sizes. The team deliver face to face in-person and virtual sessions focussed on equality, diversity and inclusion, performance management, managing workplace investigations and disciplinary hearings and training employee representatives among many others. The full training range is available on the Birketts website. The Shaping Excellence team are able to support businesses and their HR departments in fostering the best working environment possible for their staff, reducing legal and commercial risks and supporting the development of people managers. In addition, the Shaping Excellence team run a very popular 12 module course dedicated to HR professionals on all aspects of practical employment law to support them in their HR practice.

Jonathan joins a team of over 30 top-tier employment lawyers, as ranked in the UK Legal 500 2022 directory, who act for sector-leading clients nationwide, as well as some of the biggest businesses and institutions in East Anglia.

Speaking after the appointment, Jonathan said: “Sam and the employment team have built an enviable reputation for the quality of their training, so I’m delighted to be able to support them in reaching more businesses and HR professionals than ever before. The training Birketts has available is practical and avoids legal jargon ensuring people managers and HR professionals are upskilled effectively to deal with the commercial and operational pressures that they face on a day to day basis.”

Legal Director and Head of Shaping Excellence Sam Greenhalgh added: “Jonathan’s addition to the team is making an immediate difference to the training we offer HR professionals and corporate clients. He has a rare skill for translating the intricacies for employment law in a clear and practical way. Jonathan has already received some fantastic feedback and requests for further training to be carried out which is testimony to his skills and training style. I’m sure this will continue and we will see Shaping Excellence reach new heights, with Jonathan an integral part of the division.”