Abigail Butcher

Abigail Butcher is a Senior Associate at Thomson Wilks whose practice is principally focused on employment and labour law. Her background combines private practice with in-house employee relations experience in a highly industrialised mining and manufacturing environment, giving her insight into both the legal and operational considerations that arise in the workplace.

Her broader experience extends across dispute resolution, litigation and regulatory compliance. Earlier in her career, Abigail worked across employment, dispute resolution and litigation and pro bono human rights matters, gaining experience in arbitration, High Court and Magistrates’ Court proceedings, construction disputes under the GCC and FIDIC suites and product liability claims. She has also advised on compliance with POPIA and the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, as well as regulatory requirements applicable to medicines, medical devices, PPE and digital health products.

Abigail holds an LLB and a Bachelor of Arts in Political and International Studies with Distinction from Rhodes University and was admitted as an attorney in 2020. During her studies, she received several academic and leadership distinctions, including recognition on the Dean’s List for Academic Merit, Academic Half Colours and Investec Top 100 awards for General Excellence and Student Leadership.

She has further developed her professional skills through training in intermediary advocacy, mediation and negotiation, arbitration and pharmaceutical regulatory affairs in Africa.

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Abigail’s experience includes:

Abigail advises employers across individual and collective employment law and employee relations matters. Her work includes retrenchments, organised labour and strike action, business transfers, employment contracts and contractual disputes, internal investigations and disciplinary processes and matters involving harassment, victimisation and sexual harassment. She also represents clients in labour disputes before the CCMA, Labour Court and High Court and assists businesses with the development of workplace policies and procedures suited to their local and international requirements.

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Abigail’s areas of speciality

• Employment & Labour Law
• Labour Litigation
• Collective Labour Law
• Employee Relations
• Workplace Investigations and Disciplinary Processes
• Regulatory Compliance
• Data Protection and Electronic Communications Compliance

Abigail brings together private-practice experience and an in-house understanding of employee relations, allowing her to approach workplace matters with a strong appreciation of the legal, commercial and operational considerations facing employers.