Jonathan Moreland Managing Partner
Dispute Resolution
Jonathan Moreland is the Managing Partner at Swinburne Maddison. He qualified as a solicitor in November 1993 after completing his education at University College Cardiff and the College of Law Guildford. Jonathan began his legal career at Swinburne Jackson & Moreland in 1991, where he progressed from Trainee Solicitor to Partner. From then on, he played a key role in the transition during the merger of Swinburne Jackson & Moreland and Wilson Maddison, which led to the creation of Swinburne Maddison as it is known today. In 2021, he was appointed Managing Partner, leading the firm through a period of significant growth and transformation.
Jonathan’s role involves overall management of the firm, steering its strategy, leading the Senior Management Team, and providing expert guidance in employment and HR law. His specialisms include representation at Employment Tribunals for cases involving unfair dismissal, discrimination, and whistleblowing, as well as advising on redundancy, restructuring, TUPE, and HR matters. He also drafts and negotiates settlement agreements for senior executives and provides non-contentious employment law services, such as drafting contracts, policies, and staff handbooks. Jonathan primarily works with clients in professional services, higher education, and manufacturing sectors.
- Employment Tribunal Litigation
- Discrimination Law
- Redundancy and Restructuring
- TUPE
- Settlement Agreements
- SmartHR
Jonathan has over 34 years of legal experience, beginning his career with a broad practice that included criminal law, civil litigation, personal injury, and clinical negligence. Over time, he honed his expertise in employment and HR law, where he now focuses his practice and has done for some considerable time.
Career highlights include:
- Being one of the four founding Partners of Swinburne Maddison in 1998.
- Overseeing the office relocation to Aykley Heads Business Centre in 2006.
- Being appointed Managing Partner in 2021.
- Successfully steering the firm through the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Leading the firm during a period of significant growth in both employee numbers and commercial success.
- Playing a key role in the professional development of talented lawyers, many of whom have advanced to partnership roles.
Jonathan stands out as a lawyer due to his dual experience as both a legal adviser and business owner himself, allowing him to offer pragmatic and commercially focused solutions to complex employment issues and enabling businesses to unblock barriers to their growth caused by them. Guided by core values of integrity and humility, Jonathan is dedicated to serving both clients and his staff and fostering a collaborative and supportive environment.
Jonathan seeks to attract ambitious businesses and senior executive employees who value high-quality legal advice tailored to their commercial goals.
Jonathan is also a regular presenter of training sessions and seminars for employer clients and the author of articles.
Key Appointments:
- Member of the Business Durham Advisory Board.
- College Solicitor to St. Chad’s College, Durham University.
- Chair of the Trustees of Durham Union Society, Durham University.
- Former ambassador for the Open North Foundation.
- Former Panel Member of the County Durham Growth Fund.
Jonathan was named as a Leading Partner in the 2025 edition and a Leading Individual in the 2024 edition of the Legal 500, highlighting his prestigious standing within Employment Law within the North East.
“Jonathan Moreland – attentive, accurate, thorough, tenacious, and above all, a gentleman.”
"Jonathan Moreland gives calm, pragmatic, and expert advice that is consistently valuable and impressive. He combines impeccable knowledge of employment Law with strong empathy and interest in the human context of the issues on which he is advising."
"Swinburne Maddison is an incredibly competent and professional legal service which under the leadership of Jonathan Moreland has given me outstanding support, guidance and reassurance. A successful conclusion to the case is now clearly in sight due to the team's relentless drive and dedication. I can’t thank them enough."
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