Michelle is commercial director at Thompsons Solicitors and a member of the executive board.

Originally from Cork in Ireland, Michelle trained at a large legal aid practice in London before joining Thompsons Solicitors in 2003 as an employment rights solicitor. She initially worked in the Liverpool office before moving to take over management of the employment rights teams in the South West and Wales regions in 2007. As well as running cases, Michelle was instrumental in developing internal case management systems for employment work during that time.

In 2012, Michelle became branch manager of the Bristol and Plymouth offices of Thompsons. In that role, she successfully led a large multi-disciplinary, spilt site branch which included teams of personal injury and employment lawyers, the firm's national settlement agreement unit and the help and advice line services that the firm provides to its trade union clients.

Michelle worked briefly as Thompsons head of employment operations before being appointed to the executive board as the director for people infrastructure and finance in July 2015, and then moving into her current role in September 2020.

Michelle works closely with the heads of each department to ensure that the firm is in a strong position to navigate current and future business challenges. She believes that it is essential to have the right people with the right skills, knowledge and capabilities in the right roles and based in the right locations across Thompsons national office network. Thompsons strives to achieve this through the effective development and reward of skills and the management of performance in order to become the best they can be, both collectively and individually.

Michelle gives talks and lectures on employment law to clients at events organised by Thompsons Solicitors and the firm’s trade union clients.

She has also contributed to Thompsons' own publications, including Labour and European Law Review, as well as external publications.

Michelle works with the head of finance to sustain the business of the firm through the delivery of sound financial performance and the effective use of resources.

In the ever-changing landscape of personal injury and employment litigation, it is vital that the firm has the right IT infrastructure in place to deliver a quality service to all Thompsons clients. Michelle works with the head of IT to ensure that her team meets the demands and challenges of the constantly evolving business needs.

Michelle's case experience

  • Involved in a number of notable cases up to and including the Supreme Court, including St Helens Borough Council v Derbyshire and ors [2007] - House of Lords decision relating to the victimisation of equal pay claimants. 

 

Professional membership

Michelle is a member of the Industrial Law Society and the Labour Party.Â