Oliver Spratt

Oliver Spratt is Of Counsel based in the London office of Morrison & Foerster. He advises domestic and international clients on the full spectrum of contentious and non-contentious employment law issues. 

Oliver works with clients across a range of industry sectors on employer/employee issues arising throughout the employment lifecycle from recruitment to termination.

He regularly works alongside colleagues in the corporate, TTG and finance teams where he advises clients that are undertaking complex corporate transactions, such as mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, and business restructuring, on employment issues, as well as advising companies on the employment aspects arising out of major initiatives, such as global outsourcing projects, restructurings and global policy changes.

Much of Oliver’s work involves advising international clients on cross-border employment matters, and he has significant experience working with local employment counsel to deliver commercial and pragmatic solutions to a broad range of multi-jurisdictional employment law issues.

On the contentious side of his practice, he has experience of representing employers in the Employment Tribunal, defending sensitive, high-value claims, such as unfair dismissal, discrimination, and breach of contract. In February 2019 Oliver represented the respondent care home in the matter of Shannon (Appellant) v Rampersad and another (T/A Clifton House Residential Home) (Respondents), which was heard before the UK Supreme Court. Oliver has advised clients on matters involving the misappropriation of confidential information by current and former employees and breaches of restrictive covenants.

In the past, Oliver has been seconded to two multinational businesses – one in the oil and gas sector and another in the technology sector.

Oliver has produced and delivered training on various employment law issues and has had articles published in the Employment Law Journal. In August 2020 he was a member of the UK Employment Lawyers’ Association working party responding to the recent government consultation on the potential changes to the law surrounding support for victims of domestic abuse in the workplace. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Oliver has provided strategic advice and training to a number of clients on the employment law challenges faced by employers across the globe. 

Oliver has an extensive pro bono practice, and he sits on the Royal Courts of Justice Citizens Advice Bureau’s Service Deliver Committee.

Oliver is qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales.

Representative Experience 

Non-Contentious

• Acting as principal employment law adviser to a global manufacturing client on employment aspects of its acquisition of another global business. The acquisition impacted 1,300 employees across 13 jurisdictions, and involved the automatic transfer of employees pursuant to the Acquired Rights Directive and equivalent laws outside the EU. 
• Advising a Fortune 500 manufacturing client on the employment aspects of two global outsourcing projects valuing in excess of $600m. 
• Advising a global manufacturing company on the enforceability of a ‘global’ IP and non-complete agreement across 47 different jurisdictions. 
• Advising a global insurance company on a complex collective redundancy process, including advising on the process for the election of employee representatives and drafting communications with employees and representatives. 

Contentious

• Acting for the respondent care home in the matter of Shannon (Appellant) v Rampersad and another (T/A Clifton House Residential Home) (Respondents), which was heard before the UK Supreme Court in February 2019. The decision of the Supreme Court, which was handed down on 19th March 2021, finding in the respondent’s favour, is the leading authority regarding the application of the National Minimum Wage legislation to employees who are permitted to sleep while at work.
• Advising a global bank on its successful defense of a complex, high-value and highly sensitive whistleblowing claim in the UK Employment Tribunal. 
• Advising a global oil and gas company on the successful mediation of claims of sex and maternity discrimination, which had been brought by an employee in the UK Employment Tribunal. 
• Advising a medical software company on the protection of sensitive and confidential information unlawfully taken by a former employee for the purposes of aiding a competitor. 
• Advising a global digital payments company on a sensitive investigation following allegations of race and age discrimination by a former employee.
• Advising a number of well-known employers on senior employee exits.