John Hayes
“John Hayes is a simplifier not a complicator” — HRD, leading wealth management firm
Constantine Law was founded by John Hayes, one of London's leading employment lawyers. John advises UK corporates in the financial services, employment agencies, retail and construction sectors.
John is also one of London's leading solicitors in restrictive covenant disputes and an experienced High Court practitioner. He has obtained numerous injunctions for a range of leading corporate clients, in the High Court, in recent years. John has a very solutions orientated and commercial approach.
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John qualified as a solicitor in 2001 and as a barrister in 1993. He is an experienced advocate and has years of experience in litigating in the Employment Tribunal, and the Employment Appeal Tribunal in unfair dismissal, whistleblowing and equal opportunities cases.
John's client base is entrepreneurial and this prompted him to set up Constantine Law. He is recognised in the Legal 500 and has previously headed the London employment team of a large national law firm.
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John has particular expertise in business protection and works closely with some of the leading barristers in the field to protect his client's commercial interests. He has great experience in the arena of a-typical working, including consultancy agreements, IR35, CIS and the tax implications of each. He works closely with leading accountants to provide joined-up solutions for his clients.
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John is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and the leading Irish entrepreneurial organisation, the Irish International Business Network (IIBN). He is also an active member of the Institute of Directors (IOD). John is a contributor to the Huffington Post and appears regularly on news media including the LBC and Television. He is also a regular contributor to leading trade magazines on employment matters.
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John is married to Ceri, with three children, Joseph, Theo and Aoife. He is a member of the Hampstead Triathlon Club and raises money through Olympic distance triathlons. His other main passions are public affairs (standing in the 1997 General Election) and London's cultural scene.
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John has written many articles on employment law subjects and you can access some of these articles here.
CEO AND OWNER OF NATIONAL RECRUITMENT ANS EMPLOYMENT AGENCY BUSINESS
John Hayes handles all of our business competition issues and has obtained a number of injunctions for us in the High Court to enforce restrictive covenants. He is commercial, good value and solutions-focussed and he is an indispensable part of our team.
CEO AND OWNER OF NATIONAL RECRUITMENT ANS EMPLOYMENT AGENCY BUSINESS
John Hayes is part and parcel of our recruitment process: we rely on him to provide advice on restrictive covenants to us and our proposed-hires so that they get comfortable with the joining process. He provides huge reassurance and practical insights to our incoming senior hires.
SENIOR HUMAN RESOURCES PROFESSIONAL WORKING FOR A NATIONAL PLC IN THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
John Hayes helped to get me back my self-esteem. I was being bullied and harassed at work. He put together a strategy which saw me stand-up to my employer and it resulted in a smooth exit package. I can’t praise him highly enough.
CEO LEADING INSURANCE BROKER
Constantine Law achieved a cost-effective solution to obtain sign Undertakings to avoid the need for us to issue proceedings in the High Court.
SENIOR HDR WORKING FOR NATIONAL RETAIL BANK IN THE UK
John Hayes acted for me in a complex (associative) disability discrimination claim against my former employer, a national retail bank. The process took a long time (9 months) but it resulted in an agreed exit package. I derived an enormous amount of professional and psychological reassurance from John’s advice
MEMBER OF LLP AND EQUITY PARTNER LEAVING ONE SILVER CIRCLE TO JOIN ANOTHER
John Hayes acted for me when I was leaving my law firm and he provided commercial and sensible advice which resulted in a Deed of Settlement being signed. In doing so, he advised properly on the practical scope of the restrictive covenants and the other commercial aspects of the deal. The exit was hard-fought, but it was agreed.