Roger James

• advising global agribusiness and food company Bunge on employment law issues in 51 countries related to its acquisition of Viterra
• advising IT software company Ivanti on its acquisition and integration of MobileIron which impacted employees in 19 countries
• successfully defending a UK newspaper from a high profile 5 day trial brought by freelance journalists claiming employment status
• successfully defending a software company on a 7 day discrimination claim
• advising a major IT company on their outsourcing contracts
• misclassification of contractor issues across Europe and Asia
• advising on entry to new countries including preparation of “country reports” on local employment law, employment contract and associated documentation and checklist of engagement and termination considerations
• advising on the creation of staff consultation bodies
• advising on restrictive covenant issues – in particular on an international basis involving cross country moves
• international secondments and associated documentation and considerations
• a manufacturing company on the closure of its final salary pension scheme. The project involved negotiations with the relevant union and was successfully completed on time and with all 150 employees accepting the change
• various outsourcing contracts and ensuring employment transfer/employment risks are managed and minimised
• numerous clients on whistleblowing, poor performance, misconduct, ill health and other employee specific issues
• Roger is also in demand as a speaker / trainer for clients and has been asked to speak at international conferences across the globe as further detailed in the “Speeches” section below.

Education

• University of Wolverhampton Law School, 1993
• University of Wales, 1991

Admission to Practice

• England and Wales

• Employment Lawyers Association
• International Bar Association
• The Law Society of England & Wales

• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “Global Reorganizations Series, Part 5: Implementing a Restructuring in Europe” – October 29, 2024
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “Global Reorganizations Series, Part 4: Implementing a Restructuring in the Asia-Pacific Region” – September 24, 2024
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “Global Reorganizations Series, Part 1: Implementing a Multijurisdictional Restructuring” – May 28, 2024
• Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Considerations When Employing Workers in a New Country in Europe” – Washington, D.C. – May 3, 2024
• International Bar Association Employment Conference 2024 – “Blurred Boundaries: Traditional Employment vs the Gig Economy” – Milan – April 2024
• Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Harmonizing Workforces After a Merger or Acquisition” – Phoenix – November 10, 2023
• Workplace Strategies Seminar – “After the Champagne Has Gone Flat: Harmonizing Workforces After an Acquisition” – San Diego – May 12, 2023
• International Bar Association AGM 2022, Discrimination and Employment Section panel – “Whistleblowing and retaliation claims in multinational companies” – Miami – November 2022
• International Employment Law Conference  – “Access to Justice during Covid 19: Challenges and Solutions for Online Proceedings” – Kuala Lumpur – December 2021
• Corporate Labor and Employment Counsel Exclusive – “Protecting Trade Secrets and Confidential Information in Today’s Global Electronic Environment” – New Orleans – November 15, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “Modern Cross-Border Workforces: Employment Law Trends and Payroll Tax Considerations” – October 15, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Webinar – “UK Employment Law Update: Recent Developments and What You Need to Know About Differences Between UK and U.S. Laws” – September 18, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins Workplace Strategies Seminar – “Headline News – Key Developments Impacting Employers” – Las Vegas – May 2, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins International Practice Group Symposium – “Because Data Privacy: GDPR as the Ultimate Excuse” – Washington, D.C. – March 28, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins International Practice Group Symposium – “Field Notes: International Investigations Workshop, Part 1” – Washington, D.C. – March 28, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins International Practice Group Symsposium – “European Updates: Legal Developments for Multinational Employers” – Washington, D.C. – March 28, 2019
• Ogletree Deakins International Practice Group Seminar – “Employee Data Privacy Worldwide: GDPR and Beyond” – Washington, D.C. – March 29, 2018
• Ogletree Deakins International Practice Group Seminar – “Legal Update: Brexit” – Washington – March 29, 2018
• Ogletree Deakins International Practice Group Seminar – “You Can’t Take it with You: Departing Employees and Trade Secrets” – Washington – March 29, 2018
• Association of Corporate Counsel Charlotte Chapter – “Cross-border Transactions by U.S. Businesses: Identifying and Discussing Key Employment Considerations and Challenges” – Charlotte – September 26, 2017
• International Bar Association AGM 2016, Discrimination and Employment Section panel – “Reform of the EU Posted Workers Directive” – Washington – September 2016
• CIPD Asia Seminar – “Uber? Grab? What’s driving employment law in Asia Pacific in 2016” – Singapore – April 2016
• Deloitte Global Employment Services annual client Asia Pacific Seminar – “Executive Mobility and Employment Law: Covering all Bases” – Hong Kong – January 26, 2016
• The Cambridge Network – “Policies of the New Government” – Cambridge – April 2015
• Moscow State Institute of International Relations – “Reform of the UK Legal Market” – Moscow – September 2014

• June 28, 2023 – International Employment Lawyer – “Motherhood penalty blocks women’s pay and promotions”
• May 29, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Cyprus: Implementation of New General Health System Places Obligations on Employers”
• May 29, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Czech Republic: Czech Republic to Extend Sick Leave Pay”
• May 29, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Israel: Ownership of a Company’s Facebook Page”
• May 29, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Peru: Government Offers Employees Flexibility in Annual Leave”
• May 24, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Bosnia & Herzegovina: Changes in the Labor and Income Tax Laws in the Republic of Srpska”
• May 24, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Various Amendments to FBIH Labor Laws”
• May 24, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Brazil: Extension of Permissible Outsourcing Activities”
• May 24, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “Ireland: Restrictions on Zero-Hour Contracts Amongst Areas Addressed by New Legislation”
• May 24, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “North Macedonia: Introduction of Progressive Taxation and Increased Mandatory Contributions”
• May 24, 2019 – Ogletree Deakins International Employment Update – “North Macedonia: Wide Ranging Changes to Labor Laws”

• May 4, 2023 – Law360 – “Ogletree Launches Global Reorganizations Practice”
• February 10, 2023 – Financial Times’ Sifted Magazine – “How do startups decide who to lay off?”
• November 30, 2021 – WorkLife – “Managers grapple with how Portugal’s 9-5 ruling will impact their work”
• October 30, 2021 – Daily Express – “Why mandatory vaccinations could ‘reach our shores’ as Brits back harsher Covid measures”
• August 2, 2019 – SHRM Online – “Employing the Formerly Incarcerated: A Global Perspective”

• Legal 500
• Chambers UK