During over a decade at the Bar, Heather has built an impressive reputation in employment law, discrimination law and commercial law. Heather represents a wide cross-section of businesses, from multinational corporations to SMEs, as well as public bodies and individuals. She has handled numerous cases before the employment tribunals, the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the High Court and the Court of Appeal; Heather is particularly in-demand for her expertise in disability, sex and race discrimination, sexual orientation, unfair dismissal, redundancy, stress at work, bullying and harassment, whistleblowing and TUPE. She has acted in several high-value cases for and against large organisations and public bodies, including primary care trusts, schools and colleges, local authorities, housing associations, police forces and major airlines. She has acted in high-value post-termination disputes involving restrictive covenants and injunctive relief and also undertakes professional regulatory work. Her cases of interest are: Merlin Financial Consultants Ltd v Cooper (2014): action to enforce restrictive covenants in the High Court against a dyslexic IFA; Okee v Nursing and Midwifery Council [2014] All ER (D) 07 (Mar); Oni v NHS Leicester City (formerly Leicester City Primary Care Trust) (Practice and Procedure: Costs) [2012] UKEAT 0144_12_1209: appearance of bias and costs in the employment tribunal; Warner v Armfield Retail & Leisure Ltd (2012) UKEAT/0376/12/SM: concerns a disabled employee and whether the doctrine of frustration can apply when the Equality Act 2010 is engaged; Richards v Tavistock and Summerhill School & Anor (2013): involves the argument that no redundancy payments should be made given the alternative offers of employment which were made after the notice period had expired or the day before its expiry.
Called 2002, Lincoln’s Inn. Head of employment team; BSB external examiner; visiting lecturer of employment law at City University (since 2004) and at Surrey University (since 2015). Publications of note: CLT Webinar Employment Status (August 2012); ‘Handle with Kid Gloves’ (2011) NLJ 762; ‘Out for the Count!’ (2010) NLJ 1209; ‘Employment: Stress alert!’ (2009) 159 NLJ 1494; ‘Access all areas’ (2006) 156 NLJ 1668; ‘On shaky ground’ (2006) 156 NLJ 91.
German.
Employment Law Bar Association, Employment Lawyers’ Association, Industrial Law Society, Personal Injury Bar Association, Public Access Bar Association, Society of Legal Scholars.
Thorne Grammar School, Thorne, Doncaster; Liverpool University and University of Muenster (2001 English and German Laws LLB, 2:1); College of Law (2002 Bar Vocational Course, Very Competent).
Heather is an extreme sports enthusiast and keen traveller; she particularly enjoys high-altitude mountaineering (her last mountain was Mera Peak). Heather loves scuba-diving, surfing and skiing.