Barrister specialising in employment and discrimination, clinical negligence and personal injury law.
Employment and discrimination: has particular expertise in equal pay and sex discrimination; acted as junior counsel in Igen Ltd v Wong (CA, leading case on the burden of proof in discrimination claims) and in several high profile equal pay multiples in the public and private sectors. Reported and high profile cases include Cowie v Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (EAT, August 2022; meaning of "unfavourable treatment" and "disadvantage" in s. 15 and s. 19 Equality Act claims); DPP Law Ltd v Greenberg (CA, May 2021; provided guidance on the ambit of the EAT's discretion in dealing with appeals from the ET); Ajayi v Abu & Abu (HC, July and December 2017; high value breach of contract/PHA 1997 claim on behalf of trafficked worker); JP Morgan (Europe) Ltd v Chweidan (CA, May 2011; concerning the distinction between direct and disability-related discrimination); Elstone v BP (EAT March 2010; established that a worker who makes a protected disclosure in one employment is protected against detriment in a subsequent employment).
Clinical negligence: has acted as sole and junior counsel in a wide range of medically complex and high value claims involving spinal injury, cauda equina, birth injury, delayed cancer diagnosis; delayed treatment of brain injury and negligent spinal and hip surgery. Has a particular interest in complex causation issues. Reported cases include Crossman v St George's Healthcare NHS Trust (HC, November 2016).
Personal injury: acts across the range of personal injury claims, including road traffic and highway claims, employer's liability, occupier's liability, fatal accidents and Protection from Harassment Act claims. Has particular expertise in crossover employment/personal injury claims involving stress or harassment in the workplace.
Called 2001, Gray’s Inn; tenant Cloisters 2002; appointed fee-paid Employment Judge in 2020; elected Vice-Chair of the Industrial Law Society (2021). Publications include: ‘Employment Law and Human Rights’ (3rd ed, OUP 2018); ‘Report on Age and Employment’ (European Commission, December 2011); ‘Discrimination in Employment: A Claims Handbook’, LAG, 2013. Appointed a member of the Fawcett Society's Sex Discrimination Law Review Panel in 2017, and contributed to its final Report, published in 2018.
Intermediate French, basic German and Welsh.
Industrial Law Society (Vice-Chair, 2021); ELA; ELBA; Institute of Employment Rights; PIBA; AVMA; HRLA.
Llanidloes High School; Magdalen College, Oxford (2000 BA Jurisprudence 1st class hons); Inns of Court School of Law (2001 BVC very competent).