Overview
Lauren Howells is an associate in the Paul Hastings Employment practice, based in the London office.
She advises UK and international clients on contentious and non-contentious employment matters, including regulatory change, workforce restructuring, employee relations issues and high-stakes disputes, and workforce governance and cross-border employment projects.
Lauren has developed a particular focus on pay equity, pay transparency and workplace equality matters. She advises multinational employers on compliance with the EU Pay Transparency Directive, including multi-jurisdictional pay equity assessments, governance frameworks and reporting obligations.
Alongside her legal practice, Lauren contributes to employment law policy development and industry consultation. She was elected to Labour’s National Policy Forum (2022–2024), serving on the Better Jobs and Better Work Commission, which contributed to proposals for the Government’s employment rights reform programme.
Lauren also contributes to industry consultation via the Employment Lawyers Association, where she chaired a section of the working group examining reforms to collective redundancy consultation and trade union access frameworks.
Accolades
- North American Law Firm of the Year (Team), International Employment Lawyer Awards
- Churchill College Scholarship, University of Cambridge (2021) – awarded for academic performance in undergraduate studies
Education
- BPP Law School, LPC, 2022
- University of Cambridge, Churchill College, B.A. 2020
Representations
- Advising European and multinational clients on compliance with the EU Pay Transparency Directive, including multi-jurisdictional pay equity assessments, reporting frameworks and governance structures.
- Advising organisations on works council and European Works Council engagement, including information and consultation obligations relating to workforce transparency initiatives.
- Advising TPG Rise Climate and the Go-Ahead Group on the employment aspects of TPG’s majority investment in Kinetic, including leading the employment workstream on SFDR-related ESG matters.
- Advising on the employment aspects of multiple global private equity transactions.
- Acting in a High Court restrictive covenant injunction, involving complex evidential issues and the use of AI-generated material in court documents.
- Advising a major international financial institution on employment tribunal proceedings, misconduct investigations and the management of related reputational and governance risks.
- Advising a domestic abuse charity on the practical implications of the For Women Scotland litigation for equality law and workplace policy implementation.
- Advising on a high-profile international commercial rights transaction, including complex employment and TUPE-related considerations.
- Drafting the UK and Canada sections of a monthly global financial regulatory risk report for one of the world’s largest financial institutions, and compiling submissions from counsel across multiple jurisdictions.
- Analysing equality law developments following the For Women Scotland litigation for a domestic abuse charity.
- Advising a leading global expert consultancy firm in relation to equal pay litigation.
News
Involvement
- Member – Employment Lawyers Association
- Elected Representative – National Policy Forum serving as an elected representative on the “Better Jobs and Better Work Commission,” which developed government policy in the following areas: employment rights, the future of work, business, skills/vocational education, industrial strategy procurement, insourcing and reshoring, and other economic issues — including tax. (2022-24)
- Member – Society of Labour Lawyers