Janet Gaymer CBE Biography
Janet Gaymer is Commissioner for Public Appointments in England and Wales and a Civil Service Commissioner. She was Senior Partner of the City based international law firm, Simmons & Simmons from 2001 until 2006. After reading Jurisprudence at Oxford, she joined Simmons & Simmons in 1971. She was admitted as a solicitor in 1973 and became a partner in 1977. She holds a Master of Laws degree from London University.
She has chaired:
- the Law Society’s Committee on Employment Law; and
- the Employment Law Sub-Committee of the City of London Solicitors Company.
She has been the Founder Chairman of:
- the UK Employment Lawyers Association (and continues as Life Vice President of the Association);
- the European Employment Lawyers Association (and continues as Honorary Chairman); and
- the St Hilda's College Law Network.
With effect from 1 May 1995 she was appointed to the Council of the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, and was re-appointed to the Council for a second term in May 1998. She stepped down from the Council of ACAS in April 2001. Between 2001 and 2006, she was an independent member of the Steering Board of the Employment Tribunals Service. In October 2001 she was appointed chair of the Employment Tribunal System Taskforce. The Taskforce delivered its report, “Moving Forward”, in July 2002. She was re-appointed Chair of the reconstituted Taskforce in 2003 and fulfilled this role until 2006.
She is a member of the Council of “Justice” and previously sat on its Executive Board. She sat on the “Justice” Committee which reviewed and made proposals for the reform of the procedures, jurisdiction, constitution and expertise of the industrial tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal (report published 1987).
She is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Sweet & Maxwell’s Encyclopaedia of Employment Law and of “Human Resources” magazine and was a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Tolley's “Health and Safety at Work”. She is a member of the Advisory Board of Rethinking Legal Business.
She has twice been voted the ”Experts’ Expert” in a survey undertaken by “Legal Business”. In April 1997 she received “The Times” Woman of Achievement in the Law Award. In June 1997 she was designated one of the “One Hundred Lawyers of Influence” by “The Lawyer” magazine. In 1998 she was the winner of the Partner of the Year Award in the annual Lawyer: HIFAL Awards. In 2004, she was named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women in Britain by “Management Today”; and in 2006 one of the 100 individuals of influence in “Human Resources” magazine.
She is an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda’s College, Oxford, and of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. During the summer of 1998 she was a Visiting Law Fellow at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, where she studied and reflected upon the definition of the employment relationship (as opposed to the contract of employment) in relation to, among other things, international labour standards. She is the author of “The Employment Relationship”, published by Sweet & Maxwell in 2001. In 2004 she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws by Nottingham University; and in 2006 an honorary Doctorate by the University of Surrey.
She is a member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a Patron of the Association of Women Solicitors and was the founder UK representative of the European Women Lawyers Association. She is a member of the board of International Women of Excellence.
In 1999, she became a Governor of and is now a member of the Board of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
In 2004 she was awarded a CBE in respect of her work as Chair of the Employment Tribunal System Taskforce and services to employment law.
She is married to another solicitor and has two children.
