About Laura
Laura is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and acts for employers and individuals across a wide range of employment matters from drafting employment contracts and advising on settlement agreements to considering sensitive disciplinary and performance matters and acting in Employment Tribunal claims. She joined our Employment Team in February 2018, having started her career as a litigator.
Laura is a natural communicator and was driven to employment law by her love of people and the varied, interesting work it provides. A meticulous organiser and planner, with a great eye for detail, Laura works to ensure her clients understand their options and proceed in a way that’s right for them.
Laura acts for claimants and respondents in employment litigation and her dispute resolution experience includes early conciliation and judicial mediation. Laura provides employment support on corporate matters and advises on non-contentious matters for the entire employment life cycle (including post-employment), such as: employment and service contracts; staff handbooks and policies; all types of leave and pay; disability and discrimination; grievances, disciplinaries and performance; restructures, redundancies and TUPE; and termination of employment.
Laura is responsible for the Department’s Twitter feed and is involved with its regular legal updates and breakfast seminars.
Laura is involved in a number of forums at PDT including as a Qualified Mental Health First Aider, facilitator of our mentoring programme and a core member of our equality and diversity group.
Laura is a keen horse rider, owning a beautiful Welsh Cob called Duke. She is also an ex-competitive fencer, once fencing the men’s epee commonwealth champion. She did not win!
The Legal 500: Rising Star 2024
Laura is ranked by The Legal 500 2024 as a Rising Star for her Employment practice due to the quality of her work and expertise within the Employment sector. The Legal 500 describe Laura as ‘professional’ and ‘instils a level of confidence that very few can match’. The high quality of her work and numerous client testimonials also fast-tracked our Employment practice to be ranked as a Leading Firm for Employment in Kent, Surrey and Sussex.
One client said "Laura McMaster is one of the only legal professionals I’ve have dealt with in my career who truly understands the business needs, she always makes time for calls and is a pleasure to talk with. She can make the most stressful of employment issues feel manageable and never leaves me questioning whether we are delaying or stalling due to unlikely legal risks. Laura instills a level of trust that very few can match." Another commented "Laura McMaster was very professional but also understanding of my personal situation. The turnaround time was swift."
Recent Work Highlights
- Acted for a client entering into a settlement agreement worth c.£500,000 (with multiple jurisdiction considerations).
- Negotiated and implemented the exit of an individual who was an employee, statutory director and shareholder from our client’s business.
- Provided employment support on a corporate transaction worth £50m.
- Successfully defended an unlawful deduction from wages claim which reached final hearing.
- Advised our Insolvency Practitioner client regarding the successful resolution of a group claimant action during an insolvency process.
- Advised on all employment aspects of a service framework agreement between our client and a major financial institution.
- Settled an unfair dismissal claim for our employer client at an early stage, before costs were incurred defending the claim.
Contact Laura
Expertise
Sector Experience
" Professional and instils a level of confidence that very few can match"
The Legal 500, Rising Star for Employment 2024