Patrick Brodie
Partner
Patrick is a leading litigator. He specialises in high-value and high-stakes employment disputes and business risk management, with a particular focus on restrictive covenants, whistleblowing, discrimination, and bonus disputes. He has led teams on groundbreaking cases that have clarified both domestic and international law, including in the Court of Appeal, the UK Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the European Union.
“I hope to help clients make sense of increasing uncertainty and regulation by providing a point of calm reflection”
Patrick is also an elite public international lawyer with a deep understanding of the extent to which diplomatic and state immunity applies in the employment setting. Two of his landmark cases, heard by the UK Supreme Court, have defined the reach and scope of both diplomatic and state immunity.
He regularly leads multi-disciplinary teams in high-profile employee misconduct investigations often with a significant media interest. He works closely with leadership teams, including director and trustee boards, to design and embed principles and behaviours that foster and promote diversity and inclusivity at all levels of an organisation.
He is recognised as one of the UK's leading corporate governance lawyers.
Patrick authors a leading publication on whistleblowing and regularly writes for the national press on workforce related subjects, with a particular focus on AI.
By his work Patrick and his teams have won Legal Business' Employment Team of the Year, and the Lawyer's Employment and Pensions Team of the Year.
“With an increasingly mobile and dynamic employment market, much of my work carries an international element, dealing with the design and management of multi-country workforces for global organisations. I advise regularly on cross-border restructuring, outsourcing and employment disputes.
"In an uncertain, increasingly regulated, and ever-changing world, I help executives and senior leaders make sense of the ambiguity and contradictions by providing a point of calm reflection for effective decision making. I look to enable organisations to move forward with clarity, purpose and conviction."
Patrick’s recent work highlights:
Acting for the successful respondent in the first case in over 100 years to appear before the UK Supreme Court.
Acting on a case that determines the limits of diplomatic immunity in relation to employment.
Acting for AA plc in a case that defined principles for quantifying breach of contract damages.
Directory quotes
"Patrick Brodie is outstanding in terms of his commercial advice. He has so much empathy and is able to provide great insights into complex employment matters combining legal excellence with a deep understanding of human psychology which makes him stand out from the crowd." - Legal 500 UK 2024
"Patrick is a phenomenal and commercially minded employment partner. He has the ability to anticipate with incredible accuracy, is extremely commercial and very intuitive." - Chambers UK 2023
"Patrick is a phenomenal and commercially minded employment partner. He has the ability to anticipate with incredible accuracy, is extremely commercial and very intuitive." - Strength provided by Chambers 2023: Employment: Employer client, UK
"He is very hard-working, technically strong and creative. He is willing to give strong direction in difficult situations." - Strength provided by Chambers 2023: Employment: Employer client, UK
"Patrick is utterly fantastic. He is incredibly engaging, understands all aspects of a case and nothing is ever too much. He is a terrific employment lawyer." - Strength provided by Chambers 2023: Employment: Employer client, UK
Patrick Brodie is particularly known for his expertise in employment litigation with an international element. - The Legal 500, 2023
Ranked – Chambers UK 2022
Patrick Brodie is regularly involved in high-profile employment litigation, with cases heard up to the Supreme Court. In addition to his client-facing work, Patrick heads RPC's employment, engagement and equality practice. -Chambers UK 2022
"We won due to his tenacity and intelligence; he is calm, delightful to work with and spot on in all his assessments." -Chambers UK 2022
"He has an extraordinary knowledge of employment law - he is completely ingenious, he is amazing fun to work with and I cannot imagine a case for which he would not be suited." - Chambers UK 2022
"Patrick Brodie is, quite simply, an unsung hero of the employment law world. I do not think that there is anybody better than Patrick. He hides his extraordinary intelligence behind a jovial exterior, but when it comes to getting the job done there is nobody better." - The Legal 500 UK 2022
Recommended - The Legal 500 UK 2022
"Patrick Brodie is brilliant. A joy to deal with." - The Legal 500 UK 2022
"Patrick Brodie has excellent technical knowledge but also a uniquely practical and innovative approach to complex TUPE issues which is invaluable. He’s a trusted adviser looking beyond the legal space." - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"Patrick Brodie, Head of RPC’s Employment, Pensions and Incentives practice, is helpful, delightful to work with and client-focused. He is pragmatic and finds solutions where others just see problems. A real team player and unflappable" - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"A superb [Employment] team, punching far above its weight, led by one of the most creative and astute employment solicitors in the country" - The Legal 500 UK 2021
"Patrick Brodie is nothing short of a pleasure to deal with and can’t be praised highly enough. He is diligent, astute, eloquent and exceedingly knowledgeable in his field and the job he performs is always a resounding success." - The Legal 500 UK 2020
"Patrick Brodie and Geraldine Elliott are absolutely first rate." - The Legal 500 UK 2020
"The practice is led by Patrick Brodie, who has a strong track record of big-ticket litigation and led the team acting for executive search firm Egon Zehnder on the aforementioned case. He works alongside 'passionate' and 'approachable' legal director Kelly Thomson, advising an impressive list of household name clients across sectors including insurance, utilities, services and retail." - The Legal 500 UK 2020
"Exceptionally clever, personable, commercial and strategic. An absolute pleasure to work with." - Best Legal Advisers Report, 2016 - 2017
"one of the cleverest lawyers around, and maintains a sense of commerciality and fun" - The Legal 500 UK 2016
"Well placed to advise on major transactions, sensitive disputes and day-to-day employment work" - Chambers UK 2016
"RPC is singled out for its ‘excellent’ outsourcing expertise" - The Legal 500 UK 2015
Department head Patrick Brodie and senior associate Kelly Chapman are ‘excellent communicators’. - The Legal 500 UK 2015
"They have taken the time to get to know us as a business, what we need and look for, and what key stakeholders need. It is an extraordinary level of engagement" - Chambers UK 2015
"Very pragmatic and commercial, and always look for the right outcome for us. They are prepared to give advice and tell us it is the most realistic thing that will happen" - Chambers UK 2015
"The ‘very strong' team at RPC provides an ‘exceptional service' and ‘tailored' advice" - The Legal 500 UK 2014
"Their strength lies in their pragmatism. They are very inclusive and they make you, as a client, feel that they're owning your problem" - Chambers UK 2014
"Renowned for advising mainstay clients of the insurance, utility and retail sectors involved in employment disputes. Growing expertise in handling the employment aspects of transactional matters" - Chambers UK 2014
Get in touch
Expertise sectors
Expertise services
Corporate, Disputes, Employment, Engagement & Equality
Related content
Stay connected and subscribe to our latest insights and views
Subscribe Here