Over a career spanning four decades, Janet Gaymer has been one of the country’s most influential lawyers in two spheres: one of the UK’s foremost employment specialists, she was also one of the first women to take the helm at a leading City firm. Gaymer, 60, joined Simmons & Simmons in 1971 after graduating from St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and became senior partner 30 years later, in addition to establishing its employment group. During her career she pioneered good practice on flexible working, partnerships and childcare that set the path for many other law firms. Gaymer served on many influential committees shaping the development of employment tribunals in the UK. She chaired the Lord Chancellor’s employment tribunal system taskforce, which recommended a series of important reforms in 2002. In 2006 she stepped down as senior partner from Simmons & Simmons and became Commissioner for Public Appointments, responsible for monitoring Civil Service jobs handed out by ministers. She is a governor of the London School of Economics and sits on the board of the Royal Shakespeare Company. She is a CBE and was made an honorary Queen’s Counsel this year. She is married to another solicitor and they have two children.

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