Spear’s Review

Unlike many employment law firms that take on cases for employers as well as employees, Cole Khan focuses specifically on senior executives in negotiated entries and exits, discrimination claims and high-value employment litigation.

‘We wanted to make a real difference in the high-level claimant space,’ co-founder Shazia Khan tells Spear’s. ‘We saw a real gap in the market.’

Her client base spans a wide range of sectors including finance, healthcare, legal and professional services. ‘Typically they reach out to us when there’s something going on in the workplace that needs very quick, responsive action,’ she explains.

While litigation can be necessary to achieve clients’ outcomes, Khan recognises that private mediation is sometimes the preferable option, particularly when ‘a case involves multiple layers of complexity and reputational risks’.

Adviser Profile

Shazia has dedicated her career to fighting discrimination in the workplace, valued by clients for providing clear, strategic and tailored counsel. Acknowledged as ‘a very tenacious lawyer, and a strong negotiator’, she advises C-suite executives on sensitive, commercially significant employment disputes, often with a cross-border and multi-jurisdictional dimension. Combining strategic legal expertise with commercial judgement and discretion, she has secured successful outcomes in numerous high-profile disputes. Recognised in The Lawyer Hot 100 and British Pakistani Power 100, Shazia is also a regular media commentator, appearing on the BBC, Radio 4’s Today programme and Channel 5 News, and in the Times and LexisNexis.