Having opened an office in Taunton last year to support our growth aspirations as a leading South West law firm, we continue to grow and expand our Somerset offer. The arrival of new Employment Partner, Matt Huggett, will help to further enhance our support to businesses across the region.
Employment Expertise
Matt joins Stephens Scown with extensive experience in advising on employment law and on HR issues. With a wide-ranging expertise, he covers consultancy agreements, grievance and disciplinary advice, maternity, paternity and adoption matters, TUPE, restrictive covenants, redundancy and drafting contracts and handbooks.
That background will primarily be brought to focus on Stephens Scown’s growing Somerset service, with the aim of recreating the firm’s excellent Cornwall and Devon offering. With a strong experience in supporting employers with their employment and HR needs, he will also be working with Joe Nicholls, Partner in the Employment team on litigation matters.
Speaking about his reasons for wanting to join Stephens Scown as part of the Somerset team, Matt said, “I was looking for a new opportunity to work within a team, so the people were essential to me. In all my discussions with everyone that I met during the recruitment process, I was shown so much genuine warmth throughout the meetings that I knew that these were people I wanted to work with.
“But it’s not just the people. It’s the Somerset offering. I am excited by the prospect of helping to build something and to work with others who are also motivated to achieve that goal. This isn’t just about coming in and fitting into an established team – although that is also a key part of it – it is about the opportunity to have a bigger overall purpose.”
Managing Partner Richard Baker said of Matt’s arrival, “Matt will be a great addition to the existing team and help further boost our Somerset offer. He brings a wealth of experience that bring huge benefits to our team, and to our clients who will be able to take advantage of that expertise when seeking the best possible Employment and HR advice. I’m delighted to welcome Matt to Stephens Scown and look forward to working with him and watching him do great things.”
Route to Law
Matt took a non-traditional route to becoming a trusted legal adviser, initially qualifying in Human Resources (and since becoming a Fellow of the CIPD) before realising that his interest lay in the intrigue, the stories and the challenges of enabling companies to best manage employees and achieve desired outcomes. Matt then qualified as a lawyer through the CILEX route.
Matt has always worked with companies, whether that be Human Resources professionals in larger organisations or line managers in smaller organisations who don’t have in-house HR expertise. Whilst most of his experience has been with companies in the manufacturing and engineering sectors, he also has experience of public sector organisations having advised NHS Trusts and Housing Associations.