Employment

11KBW

11KBW is ‘a leading set for employment work’. The team has been kept busy handling large-scale equal pay claims, high-profile industrial relations cases, discrimination matters and whistleblowing claims, to name a few areas of instruction. The ‘authoritative’ Sean Jones KC handles the full gamut of employment law matters, and Richard Leiper KC is ‘the Rolls Royce standard’. Recent highlights include the ‘highly impressive’ Daniel Stilitz KC leading Hannah Slarks for the Department for Business and Trade in Secretary of State for Business and Trade v Mercer, a case heard by the Supreme Court concerning if employees who take part in industrial action can be subjected to disciplinary action short of dismissal; the case concerned a care home worker who was suspended (and therefore not receiving overtime pay), but not dismissed, by her employer. Among the juniors, the ‘exceptional’ Sophie Belgrove has ‘a deep understanding of all aspects of employment law’. Amy Rogers KC, Simon Forshaw KC and Judy Stone KC were all elevated to silk in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Mark Dann is top class.'
'Mark Dann is incredibly dedicated, provides first class service, and always goes above and beyond to deliver.'
'The clerking service, led by the brilliant Mark Dann, is exceptional. Nothing is too much trouble. Lee Cutler is excellent.'
'Mark Dann and the team are responsive and always a pleasure to deal with.'
'Mark Dann and Lee Cutler go above and beyond to help. They are excellent at what they do.'
'Mark Dann and Martin Pownall are excellent.'
'The whole clerking team is excellent - polite, professional and responsive.'
'An excellent set for employment law with a huge bench of impressive barristers.'

Silks

Leading Silks

KCs at the very top of their field, with a long-established record of market-defining cases, and widespread endorsement from clients and peers. All silks appointed in the last two rounds are listed further below.

Daniel Stilitz KC

11KBW

'Daniel is a formidable advocate, who has mastery of all aspects of employment law. His oral and written submissions are an exemplar of measured, clear, eloquent, focused and compelling argument: they manage to combine a grasp of the fundamental principles with a sharp attention to detail.'

Sean Jones KC

11KBW

'Sean is a deliberate and considered advocate. He takes time to understand what the Judge will want to know, and delivers submissions in an erudite yet accessible manner. His ability to distill complex issues into simple concepts is his superpower.'

Richard Leiper KC

11KBW

'Richard has brilliant oratory skills. He is totally unflappable, always fully prepared and a great strategist. One of the best.'

Simon Devonshire KC

11KBW

'Simon is absolutely excellent on his feet - he presents persuasively and confidently but not arrogantly and he has great judgement, in terms of the points to push in a hearing. He is also strategic, great with clients, very responsive and hands-on.'

Julian Milford KC

11KBW

'Julian has an incredible intellect, and he is exceptionally responsive and personable. A pleasure to instruct and a privilege to have on your side.'

Anya Proops KC

11KBW

'Her unrivalled expertise in both discrimination and privacy matters make her a go-to silk on high profile and highly sensitive employment cases. A joy to work with, and an iron fist in a velvet glove.'

Jane McCafferty KC

11KBW

'The court room is her stage. She is all across the detail and she wields the law like a scalpel. Clients feel particularly reassured when Jane is on their side.'

Marcus Pilgerstorfer KC

11KBW

'Marcus' cross-examination is laser sharp, and he can go up through the gears as needed with witnesses who try and take him on. Judges love him.'

Aileen McColgan KC

11KBW

'A very effective advocate, who is hugely knowledgeable on all matters relating to discrimination.'

2024 Silks

'Amy is strategically astute, incredibly conscientious, loved by clients and impressive on her feet in court.'

Simon Forshaw KC

11KBW

'Simon has a razor-sharp intellect that he brings to every case. He deploys his knowledge masterfully, and manages to bring judges with him carefully but convincingly.'

Judy Stone KC

11KBW

'She has a brilliant mind, quickly wins over the judge and gives robust advice where needed.'

Juniors

Leading Juniors

Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.

Sophie Belgrove

11KBW

'Sophie is one of the clearest thinkers at the Bar; she misses nothing, she grasps the significance of everything.'

Patrick Halliday

11KBW

'Patrick presents his cases in a beguilingly calm and logical style, drawing in the panel and winning them round without realising they ever doubted the strength of the case. He is a hugely capable advocate, whilst also charming clients with his plain speaking and good nature.'

Andrew Edge

11KBW

'A junior with a very sharp brain who is all over the detail.'

Andrew Smith

11KBW

'A clear, robust and persuasive advocate.'

Michael Lee

11KBW

'He has a sharp mind, builds a good rapport with the judge and is excellent at thinking on his feet.'

Ronnie Dennis

11KBW

'He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the law and his ability to master the facts of a case is exceptional. A future KC.'

Hannah Slarks

11KBW

'Hannah is excellent. She is very experienced in discrimination matters, with excellent technical skills. She is incredibly responsive and brilliant with clients - she is clearly operating beyond her year of call.'

Jamie Susskind

11KBW

'Jamie is an exceptional barrister. He has a knack for cutting through complexity to simplify things and make a point far more persuasive than many of his peers. He is always responsive. His advocacy is also superb.'

Zac Sammour

11KBW

'A real fighter, a deadly weapon and someone you most certainly want in your corner.'

Katherine Eddy

11KBW

'Very thorough, analytical, meticulous and hands-on in preparing for trial. She is strong on her feet.'

Harini Iyengar

11KBW

'A pragmatic and empathetic barrister.'

Tom Ogg

11KBW

'He is excellent in employment cases involving financial services.'

Rupert Paines

11KBW

'Rupert has great judgement, commercial common sense and his work is always of the highest calibre.'

Tom Cross

11KBW

'His analysis is unparalleled at his level of call.'

Ruth Kennedy

11KBW

'A fantastic advocate. She's pragmatic, commercial, clients love her and she can be depended upon to deliver work of the highest calibre.'

Daniel Isenberg

11KBW

'A robust and talented advocate with tremendous attention to detail.'

'His advocacy is stunning, but he is also very good with clients and witnesses and able to put them at ease while remaining firm.'

Rising stars

Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.

Katherine Taunton

11KBW

‘An impressive junior who digests complex issues quickly.’

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