Liverpool-based firm Mace & Jones has beaten national players to be named as Littlewoods' sole employment adviser.

The firm won in a competitive tender to provide employment services for one of the UK's largest privately-owned companies against a number of national firms with offices in Liverpool and Manchester.

Littlewoods' head of legal, Neil Ogilvie, told Legal Week that the company chose Mace & Jones because the firm had a strong track record in the field and had provided employment services for the company in the past.

"Previously most of our employment work has been done in-house, but when we needed advocacy we used outside providers," Ogilvie said.

Ogilvie added that the company was needing increasing amounts of employment advice in the future due to changes in UK and European legislation.

He confirmed that as well as doing traditional employment work, such as tribunals, the firm would also be doing a significant amount of risk management.

Despite lagging behind leading top national and regional firms for profile, Mace & Jones' six-partner employment team, under department head Martin Edwards, has built a strong reputation in the northwest for employment work.

The 29-partner firm, which also has an office in Manchester, is also well known for insolvency and personal injury work.

Littlewoods has now completed its legal restructuring review. In March, the company appointed Eversheds as its property adviser.

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