The Team
JULIAN TAYLOR
Julian qualified as a solicitor in 1990. Before launching Julian Taylor Solicitors he set up and ran a highly successful employment department in a leading law firm with offices in London and the Thames Valley.
Legal 500 2022 refers to his “intellectual rigour, commercial awareness, responsiveness, commitment to clients, and a lovely calm manner.”
The Legal 500 2019 quotes his clients as saying “‘leading light’ Julian Taylor is a ‘delight to work with’, with ‘excellent client care skills and a sharp eye for detail’. He is renowned for his work on contentious matters in the Employment Tribunal and the High Court, and has particular expertise in dealing with cases involving restrictive covenants."
“The practice is led by the 'calm, measured and pragmatic' Julian Taylor.”
Chambers 2021 reports that Julian “is a well-regarded employment practitioner recognised for advising his clients on an array of HR-related disputes as well as negotiating senior employee exit terms. He is additionally adept at handling unfair dismissal claims and is noted for his experience of contractual issues and post-termination restrictive covenants.” It quotes clients as saying, "He has great commercial experience and knowledge." "Julian is very personable, always very professional and prompt in all responses. He understands our business and our culture very well, takes time to understand our preferred outcomes and gives us thorough advice."
Julian conducted the following leading cases:
Latchman v Reed Business Information Ltd [2002] ICR 1453 – Disability discrimination
MacCulloch v Imperial Chemical Industries plc [2008] IRLR 846 – Age discrimination
CVS Solicitors & Anor v Van Der Borgh UKEAT/0009/13/KN – Employee/worker
NICOLA WALLBANK
Nicola qualified into employment law in 2005. She has extensive experience, and advises both employers and employees on a range of employment law matters, including discrimination, complex misconduct and grievance situations, absence and performance management, company restructures, and changes to terms and conditions. The Legal 500 2019 quotes her clients, describing her as “calm and commercial”, “a great listener” and “very practical in her approach, with great client care skills”.
Chambers 2021 reports that Nicola “advises on employment matters for employers and individuals across a range of sectors. She has experience in cases concerning unfair dismissal and allegations of discrimination. She also has notable expertise in managing exit plans for senior executives and dealing with post-termination restrictive covenants.“ It quotes clients as saying, "She is keenly aware of what her client wants out of the advice they are receiving and gets to the nub of the issues very quickly." "She is excellent on all accounts - well informed, provides sensible advice, is patient, quick to respond and pleasant to deal with."
In the Legal 500 2022 she was noted as a “next generation partner”.
The Legal 500 2020 describes her as “a GDPR guru, personable, polite, professional.”
PAULA ROME
Paula qualified as a solicitor in 1993. Before joining Julian Taylor Solicitors she led the Thames Valley employment team of a leading national law firm and prior to that ran the client training function for a leading employment firm based in London and Oxford. Paula specialises in collective consultation issues including TUPE and trade union issues including advocacy at Tribunal and Central Arbitration Committee hearings. Recently she has advised clients on gender pay and other inclusion projects.
The Legal 500 2019 describes her as "highly regarded for CAC hearings, high-profile exits, non-contentious trade union work and work related to corporate clients".