Helen Watson

Biography

Helen Watson is the Senior Partner and Head of Employment & Immigration Law at Aaron & Partners. Helen’s work over more than 25 years has covered all aspects of employment law, drawing clients from a wide variety of sectors including those operating internationally.

Helen joined Aaron & Partners in early 2007 as Head of Employment Law and was the firm’s first equity female Partner. She was voted to be the firm’s first female Senior Partner in early 2026.

Background and Expertise

Helen advises clients in both the public and private sectors on contentious and non-contentious matters. She has several key areas of specialist expertise, including harassment and discrimination cases, large-scale redundancies, TUPE disputes, trade union negotiations and workplace investigations and mediations.

Having gained Higher Rights of Audience in 2005, Helen is a highly regarded Tribunal Advocate with significant tribunal experience. She has previously represented clients at Employment Tribunal on 10 day complex whistleblowing and discrimination hearings as just a flavour of her extensive experience.

Over the last decade, Helen’s international network and practice has also expanded significantly, and she now travels extensively to work with the firm’s global clients and partners. She has a wealth of expertise in international business relations and runs training programmes and other initiatives for our international clients.

Helen is a fully qualified Mediator, with over 15 years of experience and a wealth of success stories in this arena. She also leads a team of Workplace Investigators and acts as a Senior Executive Coach and Mentor, regularly delivering accredited workshops to board members and coaching executives to excellence in a variety of different fields, both public and private sector.

Specialisations and Personal Achievements

Helen has taken on a range of responsibilities alongside her practice. She is currently Vice-Chair of the International Advisory Group (IAG), an international legal and accountancy organisation with representation from over 100 regions worldwide. She attends several assemblies each year to encourage strong international relationships and promote work opportunities for the firm and partner firms worldwide.

Helen is Chair of Theatr Clwyd, where she has most recently been responsible for a £50m+ capital redevelopment. She had previously successfully steered the Claire House Children’s Hospice £50k capital project in Liverpool and was Chair for the opening of the Liverpool Hospice.  She is also an Ambassador for the North Wales Institute of Directors (having previously served as Chair for 11 years) and is a long-standing Chartered Director, holding several other Board Advisor and NED roles with Hospices, Schools, Universities and corporates.

Helen is also very passionate about a number of charities; she is an Ambassador and prolific fundraiser for Claire House Children's Hospice where she was previously Chair for 11 years and is a member of the People & Culture Committee for the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. She frequently takes on challenges to raise money for local causes and has personally raised over £200,000 in the last ten years.

Helen is a long standing and active member of North Wales and Chester Business Clubs and adviser to Bangor University People and Culture Committee and Abbey School in Chester.

Recent Work Examples

• Secured a very successful remedy at tribunal for a national Recruitment client facing a £1 million race discrimination claim.
• Led thew team in advising and representing an International Automotive client through a significant UK restructure which was in the national press. 

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