Virginia Allen

Virginia is a shareholder and head of the UK Employment Practice with almost 20 years’ experience in helping employers to strategically manage and optimise their workforces. She offers support at every stage of the employment lifecycle, advising on the full spectrum of matters from day-to-day advisory work to complex transactions and high-stakes disputes.

Virginia is highly skilled at guiding clients through significant and often multi-jurisdictional transactions and disputes. She frequently handles contentious matters such as claims for unfair dismissal, discrimination, harassment and whistle-blowing, as well as High Court employee competition disputes. In addition, she provides practical UK employment advice across a broad range of issues, including recruitment, performance management, disciplinary and grievance processes, and exits. She regularly counsels multinational companies on global projects such as business transformations, cross-border workforce structures, and complex and sensitive employee investigations. Virginia also acts for senior executives in relation to a variety of matters, including disputes, employee competition matters, and negotiated exits.

Virginia is recognised in Chambers & Partners UK 2025, which says she “goes above and beyond to understand and meet her clients' expectations, tailoring her services to provide personalised and effective solutions”.

Concentrations

• Employment due diligence

• Employment litigation

• International employment and workforce strategies

• Trade secrets

• Workplace compliance

• Benefits and compensation

Experience

Representative Matters

• Acting for a publicly listed logistics company in respect of a complex and high-value fraud investigation in which company directors were implicated.°

• Acting for a UK-listed global events and publications company in respect of the employment aspects of multiple acquisitions and dispersals, including several involving employees in multiple countries.°

• Running a training programme for the same client involving the design and launch of a new approach to employee investigations designed to improve consistency and accountability when investigating matters such as alleged harassment, discrimination, and other forms of misconduct.°

• Acting for a global household name not-for-profit organisation in respect of its global employment structures and various business-as-usual advisory matters across multiple jurisdictions.°

• Acting for an online car retailer in respect of various business as usual employment matters, including managing the exit of several senior executives.°

• Advising a global automotive manufacturer on the legal considerations associated with the introduction of a diversity and inclusion training programme across 28 jurisdictions.°

• Defending many employers, including a global investment bank and a British multinational universal bank, against various claims in the Employment Tribunal, including for unfair dismissal, discrimination, and whistle-blowing.°

• Acting in respect of various employee competition disputes, including a High Court claim by a global events and publications company made against former employees who had set up in competition in breach of their post-termination restrictions.°

• Acting for a British multinational bank in respect of its roll-out of an agile working policy across multiple jurisdictions.

°The above representations were handled by Ms. Allen prior to her joining Greenberg Traurig, LLP.