Beyond the EOT Transaction: Two Years of Employee Ownership at Myerson

Although there is no legal requirement to have an employee council, forum, or committee, many employee-owned businesses, including Myerson, choose to do so.

It can help to ensure effective communication and support a sustainable engagement culture, contributing to an employee-owned business’s continued growth and success.

At Myerson, our Employee Engagement Committee provides a platform to support our continued commitment to maintaining the firm’s culture. It aims to strengthen communications, enhance staff engagement, and enable employees to share ideas and contribute towards the continued improvement of the firm.

Our committee comprises employees from different teams and job levels across the firm, helping to ensure diverse and inclusive representation of the workplace.

For businesses establishing a council, forum or committee, there are several practical points to consider.

Members should understand its role and purpose, and once selected, it may be helpful to provide them with training and support, for example, on preparing for meetings, gathering and sharing feedback, and asking questions to seek information.

In summary, an effective council, forum, or committee requires:

• a clear purpose;
• an accountable lead;
• organisational support;
• relevant representation; and
• clear communication around employee owners’ rights, roles and responsibilities.

At Myerson, initiatives arising from our own Employee Engagement Committee have included Tiny Triumphs, designed to recognise and celebrate the small wins that happen across the firm, employee quarterly check-ins with supervisors, and a buddy scheme for new employees.

These types of arrangements are worth considering as part of the wider transition process. Establishing an EOT changes a business's ownership structure, but ensuring employees understand and engage with that structure is an important part of making employee ownership work in practice.

At Myerson, we provide full-service legal advice to employee-owned businesses and companies transitioning to employee ownership, supporting them before, during, and after the transition.

Our advice can include the structure and implementation of the EOT transaction, corporate and tax considerations, trustee and governance arrangements, employment matters, and the practical issues that arise as an employee-owned business develops.

As a 100% employee-owned law firm in the North West, recognised as ‘Transition of the Year’ at the UK Employee Ownership Awards 2025, we bring first-hand experience alongside legal expertise.

Two years into our own employee ownership journey, that experience continues to inform how we advise clients.

Becoming employee-owned is a long-term commitment to people, culture, and sustainable growth, and the most successful transitions are those that consider not only how to complete the transaction, but how the model will work for the business in the years that follow.