James Watkins

I was born and raised in Cardiff, graduating from Cardiff University with an English Literature degree in 2005. I went on to complete the law conversion course (CPE) at Bristol UWE in 2006 before returning to Cardiff University to complete the Legal Practice Course (LPC) in 2007. I qualified as a Solicitor in 2012.

I have extensive experience advising on contentious and non-contentious employment issues, including: termination of employment, discrimination and harassment, contracts and policies, redundancy, wages and holiday pay, TUPE, ill health absence, grievance and disciplinary issues, and settlement agreement negotiations. Clients appreciate my thorough knowledge of the law, my detailed analysis, and my efforts to provide them with practical, accessible advice.

If litigation is unavoidable then I am particularly experienced at bringing and defending claims in the Employment Tribunal, having secured many excellent outcomes for employees and businesses in the past.  Particular case highlights include:

Millar v Reiser (UK) Ltd ET 1602120/2023 – in which my client succeeded in unfair and wrongful dismissal claims, exposing what the Judge called a ‘sham disciplinary’ process.

Williams v Ministry of Defence Police ET 1305642/2019 – in which my client, an Armed Firearms Officer, succeeded in claims for direct disability discrimination, discrimination arising from disability, harassment related to disability and failure to make reasonable adjustments following a 6-day hearing.

Reuters v Cole UKEAT/0258/17/BA – precedent-setting case in which the Employment Appeal Tribunal considered that the late addition of a claim of direct disability discrimination was more than simply a ‘relabelling’ of existing claims.8

In recent years I have provided commentary to local and national news outlets on employment law topics, giving interviews to BBC Radio Wales, WalesOnline and 5 Live among others.

I enjoy advising businesses and organisations on day-to-day HR issues, and have delivered well-received presentations and training on behalf of Redkite. I also provide support to our Corporate and Commercial teams; within the last year I have dealt with the employment law aspects of a business takeover and a management buyout.

For the past few years consecutively, I have been fortunate enough to be ranked in the independent legal directory, the Legal 500, as a ‘Rising Star’ / ‘Leading Associate’. I have volunteered in the past for ELIPS (Employment Tribunal Litigants in Person Scheme) and at the Speakeasy advice centre pro bono clinic. I am a member of the Employment Lawyers Association.

In my spare time I enjoy music-making, playing 5-a-side football, and spending time with my wife and two young children. I am trying to improve my Welsh language skills, having studied Welsh at A Level.