Chambers and Legal 500

Chambers and Legal 500


GQ hailed as “Rising stars” in Chambers as the firm moves up the ranks

We are delighted that GQ has moved up in the rankings in the Chambers and Partners Directory for the second consecutive year. This annual guide to the legal profession reflects research among clients, and the recommendation recognises that our commitment to providing a different, more commercial approach to employment law is appreciated by the market.  

As well as the firm moving up a couple of levels in the rankings and being described as “rising stars of the industry”, the directory’s authors have singled out two of our partners, Paul Quain and Jon Gilligan as leading lawyers within the UK market.  

We were also delighted to see one of our senior associates, Sophie Vanhegan, recognised as one of the leading associates in the employment law arena.

Chambers comments

‘The “absolutely fantastic” Paul Quain is said to possess “very strong commercial insights into the dynamics of the workplace,” enabling him to “provide clients with excellent service”.’

‘Jon Gilligan is hailed for his ability to “help clients find the optimal solutions to potential problems.” His “responsiveness and proactivity in anticipating possible developments in cases” draw further praise, “as does his impressive roster of clients from the financial services industry”.’

‘Sophie Vanhegan is acknowledged as one of the leading associates in the employment law arena. "I think she has a really good sense of how to hold the hands of clients, and  combines that with a really impressive grasp of the more complex technical areas of employment law," opines one peer.’

The comments about GQ as a firm include:

“Boutique employment law firm with particular expertise in representing financial services clients.” “They provide us with good value and they're very attuned to our needs." "They're up-and-coming certainly. I'd see them as rising stars of the industry."

“I’m always able to work with the partners who give me the benefit of their expertise.  I understood I was an important client to them.”

We have been operating as a specialist employment law firm for nearly four years and believe that our on-going investment in our staff and resources will enable us to better serve our clients and continue to go from strength to strength.

A copy of the directory can be found here.

“Specialist employment practice” GQ, recommended in Legal 500 UK 2013 for the second consecutive year

We are delighted that GQ have been recommended for the second consecutive year in this year’s edition of the Legal 500 UK. This annual guide to the legal profession reflects research among clients, and the recommendation recognises that our commitment to providing a different, more commercial approach to employment law is appreciated by the market.  

Partners Paul Quain and Jon Gilligan are both recommended as named individuals, and the guide also recognises that Darren Isaacs joined us this year from his previous position as head of employment law at Bryan Cave.

Founded in 2010, our revenues have previously doubled each year and with a reported 140% increase in turnover in year-end April 2013, we are pleased that our continuing growth and profile in the market has been recognised by this leading publication.

As a result of the needs of our clients and our growth, we have also recently hired a new associate, a tax and employee incentives consultant, and a new office assistant. This gives us a legal team of three partners, four associates and a consultant, which puts us on par in terms of depth and breadth of employment law capability with many of the established and much larger full-service law firms.

We have been operating as a specialist employment law firm for over three years and believe that our ongoing investment in our staff and resources will enable us to better serve our clients and continue to go from strength to strength.

Legal 500 comments that:

“At specialist employment practice GQ Employment Law LLP, co-founders Paul Quain and Jon Gilligan are both recommended. Darren Isaacs joined the firm in September 2012 from his previous position as head of employment law at Bryan Cave.”