Employment Judge orders payout after firm found to have unlawfully withheld wages and breached trust
Top London law firm Mishcon de Reya has been ordered to pay a former commercial director nearly £24,000 following a damning employment tribunal ruling that found the firm guilty of constructive unfair dismissal and unlawful deduction of wages.
Employment Judge Walker, sitting at the London Central tribunal, awarded £21,780 to ex-director Paul Hemmings as compensation for unfair dismissal, alongside £2,000 for unpaid wages. The sum includes lost commission and pension loss calculated over a 50-week period.
The remedy judgment, published this week, comes after Hemmings successfully argued that he had been constructively dismissed during a two-day trial last December. The tribunal heard that Mishcon had failed to pay commission owed to Hemmings for three years, ultimately leading to his resignation in 2023. Hemmings stated he had lost all trust and confidence in the firm due to its handling of his pay.
Judge Walker didn’t hold back in her assessment of the firm’s conduct. She found Mishcon de Reya had been “disingenuous” and “evasive” about how Hemmings’ commission was calculated and failed to provide the financial information he repeatedly requested to understand what he was owed.
Embed from Getty ImagesHemmings joined Mishcon in 2020 as part of its cyber division, with a contract entitling him to an additional 3% quarterly commission on all fees he personally originated. Despite this contractual agreement, Hemmings said he received no such payments over a three-year period, and attempts to chase the sums led nowhere.
Mishcon denied wrongdoing during the tribunal. The firm insisted it had provided a breakdown of the commission figures once requested, rejecting any suggestion that information had been deliberately withheld. However, the tribunal sided firmly with Hemmings, awarding him a total of £23,780.
The case comes amid a period of turbulence for the elite law firm. Earlier this year, another former employee – the firm’s former cyber director – won a separate unfair dismissal case related to withheld commission. Mishcon has also announced potential redundancies linked to offshoring parts of its business support operation, adding to the perception of instability within its management structure.
Hemmings’ victory may prompt further scrutiny of Mishcon’s internal practices, particularly around pay transparency and staff treatment. With the firm still regarded as one of London’s most prestigious legal outfits, the ruling serves as a sharp reminder that reputations mean little in the eyes of employment law when basic contractual rights are flouted.
The firm has not commented publicly on the ruling.
