Former DLA partner turns to Herbies on gardening leave dispute

Stephenson Harwood litigation head John Fordham is advising DLA Piper on the dispute, which is expected to go into arbitration later this year.

Gerrard left DLA Piper to join Dechert, along with DLA’s EMEA head of corporate criminal and investigations Jonathan Pickworth, in April 2011 (1 April 2011).

However, DLA Piper served Gerrard with a notice of arbitration following a disagreement over his leaving date and whether he should have gone on gardening leave.

In early April, The Lawyer reported how DLA Piper had drafted a new members agreement for the firm’s international LLP, which introduced gardening leave for the first time (11 April 2011).

Pickworth is not involved in any dispute with DLA Piper.