Anna Lees

Anna Lees is a Director at Cleveland & Co with over 20 years of specialist experience in employment law. She advises both senior executives and employers across the full spectrum of employment matters, combining technical expertise with strategic clarity, discretion, and commercial pragmatism.

Anna began her legal career training at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, one of the world’s leading international law firms, before spending a decade at Addleshaw Goddard, where she acted for major corporates on high-profile and complex employment issues. Recognised by The Legal 500 as a leading employment lawyer, Anna is praised for her structured, candid, and balanced approach, and her ability to deliver solutions that are grounded in both legal rigour and real-world business needs.

At Cleveland & Co, Anna provides advice on contentious and non-contentious employment matters including discrimination claims, whistleblowing, strategic exits, restrictive covenants, complex grievances and disciplinaries, and tribunal litigation. She is especially experienced in managing sensitive, high-stakes disputes and is known for her calm, clear-headed support during organisational and individual transitions. Her practice spans advisory, advocacy, negotiation, and preventative training, and she is frequently called on to deliver in-house workshops for leadership and HR teams.

Anna’s clients range from FTSE 100 companies to senior professionals and SMEs across sectors including finance, legal, and professional services. Her ability to partner with both legal and operational stakeholders makes her a valued strategic adviser in moments of change, risk, or challenge.

Her core areas of expertise include employment tribunals, discrimination and whistleblowing claims, collective redundancy consultations, investigations, executive service agreements, grievance and disciplinary procedures, injunctions, and employment documentation reviews.

Anna’s work reflects Cleveland & Co’s values of integrity, clarity, and commercial effectiveness. She is known for combining hard work and humour, and for creating a safe, collaborative space where clients can navigate sensitive legal issues with confidence and perspective.

Outside of work, Anna enjoys playing netball, walking her dog, and spending time outdoors, finding balance in both movement and community.