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William Downing

Partner

What can I do for you

William is a specialist employment and HR solicitor with over 30 years of experience and heads up our Oxford office. His expertise involves employees, workers, trustees, fellows and Board Members and is based around business protection and practical resolution of difficult or contentious situations for organisations. He also has considerable experience undertaking complex investigations and representing his clients in the courts. William will draft practical and useful documentation for all manner of staff matters.

Supporting your ambitions

Most clients wish to have practical advice on the commercial options and way forward. William knows that you need to understand the commercial issues in order to advise on the best approach. As a firm, we do not believe in a one size fits all approach. What is right for one client is not right for another. William has a recognised skill at using his intellect and knowledge of his clients to provide clear and straightforward advice. And he particularly enjoys helping to draft the correspondence and agreements which implement the agreed way forward.

What do others say

"William is a pleasure to work with and provides excellent, knowledgeable advice"

"William is extremely accommodating and has supported us with extremely sensitive advice and guidance" (Chambers 2022)

What else should you know

Drawing on his family's teaching background, William loves providing training and wider legal experience. This includes seminars and legal updates, speaking in schools, work experience and collaborating with Oxford Brookes University's Law School.

What our clients say about us

  • I think Mills & Reeve are a wonderful firm. The support they have provided to us in a really difficult area has been brilliant, collaborative and commercially minded. The team were absolutely wonderful and a joy to work with. Amazing advice and support and a real collaborative effort with us. I can't thank them enough for getting us through some really tough times and doing so with an amazing can-do attitude.
  • They are friendly, fast, always available and always on top of the game. I tend to judge my legal team against the other side's legal team and never doubt Mills & Reeve is the better of the two.
  • All interactions have been very clear. Responses to questions have always been very swift and unambiguous. Our company, and my family, have used various services in Mills & Reeve with the same level of satisfaction.
  • I value the fact that Mills & Reeve are recognised as a good place to work in the UK Best Companies survey. This aligns with the values of our business and means that Mills & Reeve can share what is required to achieve this status with our business.

As many clients will testify, too many lawyers deliver the required legal expertise but fail to deliver an outstanding client experience. Which is why we always listen to our clients and constantly ask ourselves what we can do to deliver the results you expect.

You expect a close and attentive working relationship, with a lawyer that is responsive and available when you need them. You also want clear, pragmatic and commercial advice tailored to your needs, and transparency and certainty on costs. We completely agree. That’s why every day, through our culture and approach we are committed to delivering the exceptional results and service our clients expect of us.

Related sectors and services

  • Employment
  • Charity law
  • Charities and social enterprise

Contact William