Director
Languages spoken
English | French | German | Spanish
Sophie Copson is a director in the Labour & Employment team, based in our Birmingham office. She joined the team in September 2011, following completion of her training contract with the firm, so she has extensive experience in providing strategic commercial advice to clients on the full spectrum of employment law matters, both contentious and noncontentious.
Since 2023, Sophie has worked on a job-share basis with another director in the team, Joanna Galbraith, which involves them each working three days per week, effectively operating as one fee-earner and sharing all matters on which they work.
Sophie is a trusted advisers to many of the team’s key clients, including several household names. She has a wealth of experience in advising clients on senior executive appointments and terminations, managing large-scale change management and complex strategic projects, including changes to terms and conditions, Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations (TUPE) outsourcing, mergers and acquisitions and collective redundancies, as well as navigating disciplinary, grievance, absence and other sensitive employee relations issues. Sophie routinely supports clients in defending complex, high value and potentially reputation-damaging Employment Tribunal claims and routinely runs multiple cases alongside her non-contentious work.
Advising a global client on a complex TUPE outsourcing project, involving circa 2,500 employees, which also including advice on a related collective consultation process and various other contentious TUPE-related “measures”.
Working with the firm’s corporate team to advise on all employment aspects of M&A activity, including due diligence, drafting and negotiating the employment provisions of key transaction documents, drafting and negotiating employment ancillaries (including service agreements, settlement agreements and bonus documentation) and advising on post-completion matters.
Advising on a sensitive restructure of a client’s senior management team, including advising on executive exit strategies and settlement agreements, succession planning, redundancy process and related employee relations issues (including a highly sensitive grievance involving allegations of systemic discrimination).
Creating and delivering bespoke training sessions for HR and management teams, including on sexual harassment, D&I, redundancy and the Employment Rights Bill/Act.
Advising a global logistics client on TUPE provisions in commercial contracts (including entry/exit clauses, warranties and indemnities), and also the strategic and commercial approach to the application of TUPE.
“Sophie Copson (and Ramez Moussa) are both efficient, detailed, and pragmatic, as well as give great advice and alternatives to support the business. I honestly feel they are an extension to my team and genuinely care also”. Chambers and Partners UK
“Sophie Copson is a pleasure to work with. Sophie picks up on what we are saying and understands the questions we are still trying to formulate, giving us a summary of issues with ease. She gives neat, clear options and recommendations”. The Legal 500 UK
“Great collaborative work. Ramez Moussa and Sophie Copson are my main contacts. Integrity, honesty, truth and pragmatism are all behaviours and qualities they display”.
“Sophie Copson, Joanna Galbraith and Ramez Moussa are consummate professionals, and I would recommend them to anyone in my network”.