Old Square Chambers

Industrial relations, employment, professional discipline and public inquiries.

Predominantly in the field of industrial relations and trade union law in the RCJ and SC. Also represents international clients in the ECtHR and other international supervisory bodies, recently for the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Swedish Transport Workers’ Union, Norwegian Dockworkers’ Union  and the Latvian Air Traffic Controllers’ Union. Consultant to the International Trade Union Confederation. Standing Counsel to a number of UK unions. Legal 500 Employment Silk of the Year for 2013; Lifetime Achievement Award from Chambers & Partners in 2017.  Chambers & Partners Directory: 'Recognised as the leading silk at the Employment Bar when it comes to handling industrial relations cases’. Recent cases include: in the ECtHR: UNITE v UK [2017] IRLR 438 (collective bargaining); in the CA: R (Boots) v Central Arbitration Committee, PDAU  [2017] IRLR 355 (collective bargaining); in the HC: Ministry of Justice v POA [2017] IRLR 621 and [2017] IRLR 1121 (strike); Merseyrail v RMT [2017] EWHC 515 (QB) (strike); Royal Mail Group Ltd v CWU [2017] EWHC 2548 (QB), 167 NLJ 7766.

Called: 1971; in practice 1977; silk: 1987. Honorary professor at UCL.

Publications:

‘Industrial Action’ in Bullen & Leake & Jacobs Precedents of Pleadings, Sweet & Maxwell 2018;  The Holship Case [2018] 47 ILJ 315 with Tonia Novitz

Industrial Law Society, Employment Law Bar Association; Institute of Employment Rights (Chair).