"Gorvinder Pannu is highly regarded in the employment arena, with a practice that encompasses non-contentious employment advice as well as employment litigation. She typically acts for clients hailing from the energy and construction sectors, among others. "
Clients say: "Gorvinder understands our business and therefore applies a level of commercial awareness to our issues which is greatly appreciated. Furthermore, she is able to offer various solutions, allowing us to choose the best possible one." "Gorvinder's dedication to her work is excellent. She is there even for the smallest of enquiries." Chambers Global 2024
Gorvinder Pannu is a Partner in our Middle East employment practice, based in Muscat. She is an experienced employment lawyer with more than 25 years of practice, including 18 years in the Middle East. She was awarded the Employment Lawyer of the Year Award by LexisNexis Women In Law Awards 2023.
Gorvinder specialises in contentious and non-contentious employment matters in Oman and in other Middle East jurisdictions. She has also advised on employment issues relating to employment in a number of Middle East jurisdictions.
Gorvinder regularly advises multinational companies, blue chip companies and local companies across all sectors, in particular oil and gas, power and water, transportation, telecoms, education, and financial institutions. She delivers training sessions and workshops to clients on various employment topics. Gorvinder has particular expertise on union legislation and industrial action.
Gorvinder's experience includes:
- training employers on the new Oman Labour Law and assisting them with updating their employment policies and contracts to comply with the new provisions
- advising employers on legislative Covid-19 restrictions in the work place, health and safety measures, alterations to work rotation cycles, drafting variations to contract terms and redundancies
- advising a foreign State Grid on the employment aspects of its circa OMR 1 billion acquisition of 49% of the share capital of an Oman electricity company, a part of the partial privatisation of the electricity sector in Oman
- advising a national cement company on the employment aspects of it US$ 60 million acquisition of a cement business
- advising an international drilling conglomerate on the employment transfer aspects relating to the US$ 6 million disposal of its oil field drilling business in Oman
- advising the board of a major bank on the recruitment of the chief executive officer, dealing with external regulatory approvals for the appointment and drafting suite of employment documents
- defending an international oil drilling services company in multiple arbitrary dismissal claims from employees made redundant following expiry of rig contracts
- conducting an investigation on behalf of an international oil production company into sexual harassment allegations made against a senior manager, and subsequently advising on his termination.