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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 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.

As reported in an earlier post, the European Commission (EC) is conducting a study of the top ten most burdensome EU laws for SMEs. This is part of an initiative – the Regulatory Fitness and Performance Programme (REFIT) – launched by the Commission in 2012 to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs in Europe. On 18 June 2013, the European Commission (EC) published the final results of its study and issued a number of recommendations to improve and simplify existing legislation, including onerous and costly employee-related legislation. The Commission recommendations in the employment context include:
Continue Reading Commission Issues Recommendations Aiming to Improve Costly Employee-Related Legislation for SMEs

By Chris Bracebridge

In March 2013, the European Commission published preliminary results of its study of the top ten most burdensome EU laws for SMEs.  Employee-related legislation forms a significant part of that list, and is among the most costly and onerous.

The “top ten” study is part of an initiative — the Regulatory Fitness and Performance Program (REFIT) — launched by the Commission back in December 2012 to ease the regulatory burden on SMEs in Europe.  REFIT aims to scrutinize the European legislative and regulatory framework for gaps, burdens and inconsistencies in order to correct them.  The final results and any recommendations to improve and simplify existing legislation will be announced in June 2013.

In the employment context, the Commission is currently taking the following steps:
Continue Reading European Commission Set to Ease Regulatory Burden on SMEs: Key Implications for Life Sciences Employers

Article originally published in PLC Life Sciences Handbook 2012

M&A in the life sciences sector has remained robust, driven by factors such as:

  • „„ The need to replenish shrinking product pipelines.
  • „„ The need to maintain revenues as patents on top-selling
  • products expire.
  • „„ The strategic diversification of business lines.


Continue Reading Key Considerations for European M&A in the Life Sciences Sector

Originally published as Covington E-Alert on June 15, 2011

The U.K. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has recently issued the final version of its guidance on the Agency Workers Regulations 2010, which implement Directive 2008/104/EC.

The Regulations come into force on 1 October 2011, and will entitle agency
Continue Reading Agency Workers Regulations: Issues for Life Sciences Companies