Joanne Connolly

Joanne is pleased to act for both claimants and respondents. Her practice ranges from high-profile/sensitive unfair dismissal and redundancy claims to the more complex, multi-week discrimination, transfer of undertakings, working time, whistleblowing and equal pay claims. She has particularly extensive experience in disability discrimination claims. Her work incorporates employment disputes in all areas including local government, education, banking, the police, the legal profession and the NHS, as well as in business generally. She regularly handles cases involving groups of workers and is accustomed to the pressure of cases where there is a great deal at stake whether in terms of compensation, client expectation, number of employees affected or publicity. She is regularly instructed by in-house solicitors, particularly in local government, as well as those in private practice. She is experienced at both first instance and appellate levels and has appeared in several reported cases. She also acts in employment disputes in the County Court and High Court. Cases include: UNISON & ors v RCO Support Services & ors [2002] EWCA Civ 464 – whether the transfer of undertakings regulations applied to contracting out in the service industry; Batty v BSB [2002] EWCA Civ 648 – employment contract dispute re the right to withhold salary from a senior executive; Kirton v Tetrosyl [2003] EWCA Civ 619 – whether a condition caused by the surgical treatment for cancer could amount to a disability within the meaning of the DDA 1995; North Wales Probation Area v Edwards UKEAT/0468/07 – employment status of sessional workers Patel v Oldham MBC & the Governors of Rushcroft Primary School [2010] IRLR 280 – whether the effects of two consecutive, connected conditions could be aggregated for the purpose of determining whether a condition was longterm within the meaning of the DDA 1995; Marcroft v Heartland [2011] IKLK, 511, CA TUPE.

Nottingham University (LLB Hons); Inns of Court Studentship; Jules Thorne Scholarship.