Sofia Syed

Spear's Review

Reputation manager and employment lawyer at Keystone, Sofia Syed advises her HNW clients in all aspects related to their households.

She guides them through the recruitment, management and termination of close household staff such as protection officers, private chefs, nannies and housekeepers. Syed advises on business affairs when required, as well as being highly aware of the reputational risk of employing people to work in such proximity to high profile personalities.

Syed said: 'Staff make it their business to have intimate knowledge and understanding of my clients and their families. Whilst that makes the employee invaluable inside a household, it also makes them valuable to the media.'

Her employment law practice entails drafting bespoke contracts, NDAs and confidentiality agreements to protect clients’ privacy, as well as seeking anonymity and restricted reporting orders when cases are litigious, and providing specialist guidance on reputation management throughout her handling of any case.

Adviser Profile

'My role does not fit into a neat box and neither does my advice’, says Sofia Syed - an employment lawyer and partner at Keystone Law. Drawing on her commercial background, Syed provides her clients with bespoke, practical solutions to complex and often time-pressured matters.    

Many of Syed's clients are well-known individuals whose personal affairs can fuel media interest.  

'I act fast to mitigate the risks and manage the situation. Confidentiality and reputation preservation is always top on my agenda,' she says. While most of Syed's clients find her by referral, or initially to seek advice on employment issues related to their staff, they usually stay with her for all their legal needs. 'If there is an issue with the household staff, it is inevitably personal’.  'I’m often described by my clients’ as their personal ‘lawyer and friend or trusted adviser’.

'Understanding my clients is an essential ingredient to advising them and finding creative solutions for their needs. Once I know them I can quickly and efficiently deal with the issue in hand or refer them to hand-picked providers and colleagues, as required,’ adds Syed. ‘Keystone has an exceptional range of specialists who I can call upon if clients need discreet and specialist advice.’

Syed deals with a range of requests, from advising on jury service exemptions to seeking bodyguard references, advising on polygraph testing when instructing private investigators for theft in a private household or dealing swiftly with matters where ex-employees are trying to extort large sums of money post termination or indeed defending serious allegations against her clients in the employment tribunal. 

As well as advising on employee status and drafting specialist household staff agreements such as for close protection, governess’ or butlers, Syed also advises on all matters relating to on-going staff management. 

‘My clients might feel suffocated by a nasty situation at home,' Syed tells Spear's. 'A deep understanding of my clients' situation and motivations, coupled with years of specialist legal experience, helps me to provide them with tailored solutions to relieve any personal stress’.