Helen Dyke

Helen is a highly experienced senior employment solicitor with a strong reputation for providing expert employment law and HR advice. Having qualified as a solicitor in 2005, she has developed an in-depth knowledge of employment law, helping a wide range of employers and senior executives navigate complex legal landscapes with confidence. Before joining Harper James, Helen spent time working for large national law firms, including Irwin Mitchell and Shakespeare Martineau.

Helen supports clients across a variety of complex matters, including redundancy and restructuring, disciplinary and grievance issues, absence and performance management, contractual changes, discrimination, TUPE, restrictive covenants and Trade Union disputes. She also regularly provides bespoke training to clients and presents at conferences. 

Helen is known for her strong communication skills, her attention to detail and her commitment to achieving the best possible outcomes for her clients. Her approach is both client-focused and results-driven, ensuring that all advice is provided with the utmost professionalism and care. She works closely with her clients, providing practical legal solutions and keeping them informed throughout every step of the process.

Helen is committed to professional development and stays current with the latest changes in law and HR practice. She has a reputation for her dedication and compassionate approach to client service.

Helen is proud of her work with the Association of Colleges, through which she supported and advised UK colleges for many years, particularly throughout the COVID pandemic.

Other work highlights include:

• Advised a leading UK healthcare and distribution business on a sensitive workforce restructuring project, involving complex TUPE and collective consultation matters, providing practical, commercially focused advice and documentation to support a compliant process while managing operational and employee-relations risk.
• Led a full review and refresh of employment policies and procedures for a leading online marketplace business, helping the business prepare confidently for upcoming legislative reforms.
• Supported a UK manufacturing and technology business in strengthening its approach to preventing sexual harassment and building a respectful workplace culture. This included designing and delivering tailored training for managers and employees, bringing the business’s updated policies to life through practical guidance on legal duties, early intervention, reporting concerns and real-world workplace scenarios.

Outside of work, Helen is a keen supporter of the arts and previously served on the board of the international arts event, Fierce Festival. She lives in the Cotswolds with her family and her pet Pomsky, and enjoys making the most of the area’s countryside and cultural life.

“I enjoy building close, trusted relationships with clients: getting to know their people, culture and commercial priorities, so I can provide practical advice that helps them solve problems, manage risk and succeed. I particularly enjoy delivering interactive training, where legal principles can be brought to life in a way that gives managers and teams real confidence in how to handle workplace issues.”