{{insights.date}}
{{insights.type}}
{{insights.contentTypeTag}}
Caroline Noblet
Partner
Caroline Noblet is the former co-chair of our Labor & Employment Practice Group and is based in our London office. Caroline has more than 25 years of experience as an employment lawyer, advising companies in the FTSE 350 and those on the international stage. She is passionate about the benefits of a “one-stop shop” proposition, as the team works with global clients on a local and multi-jurisdictional basis, bringing the best in class service in a time and cost efficient way. With a constant desire to support the global clients of the firm and reduce their legal spend, the team leads the way in developing innovative products and services.
Caroline has been named in The Lawyer’s Hot 100 2019, which celebrates the most daring, innovative and creative lawyers from in-house, private practice and the Bar. This was in recognition for her work at the cutting edge of technology, notably the launch of Global Edge, an information portal providing up-to-date employment advice for international companies, and is borne out of the global project work that the team does with clients on an almost daily basis. Global Edge is used by many of the firm’s key global accounts, which she leads and advises in relation to all matters of employment law across the world.
Caroline’s practice reflects the strength and diversity of her client base. Representing global clients on cross-border employment matters, she deals with rationalisation and restructuring programmes (working with Trade Unions and Works Councils, the application of The Acquired Rights Directive and local equivalents), contract and policy rollouts, and the employment aspects of privacy and data protection matters. Caroline also deals with merger and acquisition projects. She regularly works hand-in-hand with our Litigation team to enforce and defend garden leave, confidentiality and restrictive covenant obligations.
Caroline also represents senior individuals on their recruitment, remuneration, incentive and severance requirements.
An active member of our Hospitality & Leisure, Advertising, Media & Brands and Sports & Entertainment Industry Groups, Caroline has been working with clients in those sectors throughout her career.
Caroline appears in a number of legal directories, writes for various publications and devises and presents training programmes for clients, trade bodies and professional organisations.
- Advising a global hotel group on their employment issues across Europe, including the rationalisation and integration of two workforces, covering 50 UK hotels and 10,000 employees, the combination of operations in Germany and the UK, and Contract and Policy roll outs across Europe.
- Advising the world’s largest marketing services conglomerate in relation to all employment issues, both within and outside the UK, including board level and senior management contracts and severance.
- Advising in high court disputes concerning senior executives’ breaches of confidence and fiduciary duties and the enforcement of restrictive covenants and confidentiality obligations.
- Advising a range of professional services clients on the contractual and other legal implications of TUPE (and where relevant, the local equivalent) in relation to multijurisdictional contracts and associated litigation.
- Working with its headquarters’ legal and HR team in the US, Caroline led and coordinated a team of employment and data protection lawyers in advising a global professional services organisation on a time-sensitive and confidential reorganisation and rationalisation program in 15 jurisdictions across its Western and Central European operations.
- Advising a major international hotel group in relation to a number of multijurisdictional projects, including the implementation of a global employment contract brand, policy roll out and data protection exercise and outsourcing of its finance function, ranging from 15 and 30 jurisdictions.
- Advising a global digital company on the employment and the commercial aspects of a divestment across eight countries, which included consideration of the application (or not) of the ARD/TUPE, trade union and collective bargaining issues.
- Conducting a global contract roll out for senior employees of a major drinks company. The intent of project was to ensure a consistent global contractual brand in terms of content, layout and tone, as well as ensuring effective and enforceable protection matrices were in place.
- Advising and representing an advertising and marketing communications client in relation to the discovery post-employment of breaches of fiduciary breaches by one of its former senior employees, including the removal of confidential information, and solicitation of employees and customers based in the UK and Singapore.
Education
- College of Law, Chester, J.D., 1988
- University of Manchester, 1988
Admissions
- England and Wales, 1991
- Ranked as a leading individual in The Legal 500 2022
- “Caroline Noblet is a force to be reckoned with. She is incredibly commercial and steers the global team to ensure a consistency of approach in terms of commercialism, pragmatism and even billing.” – Client quote, The Legal 500 UK 2022
- “Caroline leads the team and is exceptionally client-focused and easy to deal with.” – Client quote, The Legal 500 UK 2021
- “She is extremely personable and client-centric, and a very commercial and pragmatic lawyer.”
“She is extremely knowledgeable and pragmatic.”
“She's very commercial, highly experienced and a pleasure to work with.”
Client quotes, Chambers UK 2021 - Caroline is regularly instructed by large corporate clients on matters relating to senior executives. Sources praise her as “commercial, client-focused” and with “a depth of technical knowledge across the whole employment spectrum”.
Caroline Noblet comes recommended as “an excellent partner who has a rare ability to translate complex legal issues into practical, business-based solutions.”
Chambers UK 2019 - Recommended in Chambers UK 2018 for Employment: Employer, London
- Recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2017 for Employment – employers and senior executives
- Recognized as a leading individual by Chambers UK 2016
- Recommended in The Legal 500 UK 2015 for Employment: employers
- “Sources praise her creativity and problem solving.” – Chambers and Partners UK 2015
- Caroline Noblet is a “straight talker who understands our business needs,” clients say – Chambers and Partners UK 2014
- Recommended, Caroline Noblet is “top-notch” – The Legal 500 UK 2014
- Caroline Noblet heads the work of the international employment team and offers clients high-level strategic advice. She is praised for her project management skills and “no-nonsense, down-to-earth attitude”. – Chambers and Partners UK 2013
- “Has both the resources and expertise to handle major pan-European projects and demanding litigation such as complex restrictive covenant claims. Clients report a personal and tailored service provided by a “classy” team that “pulls out all the stops” … Caroline Noblet is “exceptional”.” – The Legal 500 UK 2012
- Described as “an outstanding lawyer – technically excellent and highly commercial” – The Legal 500 UK 2010