Employment

Old Square Chambers

Old Square Chambers is ‘an excellent employment set with a depth of talent’. In a prominent case highlight, Michael Ford KC and Nicola Newbegin successfully represented UNISON as intervenor in the Supreme Court in Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland v Agnew, a high-profile case concerning whether workers in the United Kingdom (in this context, officers and other employees of the Police Service in Northern Ireland) to bring historic claims for unpaid holiday pay amounting to unlawful deductions from wages. The Court also ruled that a gap of three months between underpayments of holiday pay does not automatically break the chain of a series of deductions. Among the juniors, Melanie Tether continues to handle complex equal pay matters, which are also a core area of strength for Louise Chudleigh. Key growth for the set includes Rad Kohanzad and Paras Gorasia joining the team in December 2023, and Stuart Brittenden KC being appointed to silk in March 2024.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'Lee Jennings is always very helpful and responsive.'
'William Meade is absolutely fantastic - he has an excellent manner and makes you feel as though you and your client are their top priority at all times, regardless of how busy they are. Nothing is ever too much. Olivia Moliterno has a wonderful manner, her responsiveness is excellent and she is just a pleasure to deal with.'
'Will Meade is a star and the clerks' room as a whole is supportive and agile.'
'Olivia Moliterno and William Meade are a pleasure to work with.'
'Olivia Moliterno is faultless. Always quick to respond and find solutions.'
'The clerks are very diligent, communicative and friendly.'
'Old Square Chambers is at the forefront of cutting-edge employment law issues.'
'Strong employment set - strength in depth.'

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.

Michael Ford KC

Old Square Chambers

'A master of labour law. His intelligence is off the charts and he always thinks ten steps ahead. Watching him cross examine on his feet in court is magical - he has the judges dancing to his tune and responds eloquently to very challenging questions.'

Lord Hendy KC

Old Square Chambers

'A man who knows collective labour law inside out. He is able to charm a court.'

Oliver Segal KC

Old Square Chambers

'A silk with complete mastery of facts and law.'

Betsan Criddle KC

Old Square Chambers

'Betsan is unflappable. She has excellent technical skills and instills confidence with her incisive advice.'

Ben Collins KC

Old Square Chambers

'A silk who provides high quality, commercially sound advice.'

Ben Cooper KC

Old Square Chambers

'He has a razor-sharp mind.'

Mark Sutton KC

Old Square Chambers

'Mark has a superb client manner, and his cross-examination is a joy to observe.'

Katharine Newton KC

Old Square Chambers

'Katharine is a brilliant tactician, agile on her feet and very hard-working.'

Simon Cheetham KC

Old Square Chambers

'He is very approachable and has the ability to put witnesses at ease.'

Ijeoma Omambala KC

Old Square Chambers

'A well-prepared and composed advocate.'

Deshpal Panesar KC

Old Square Chambers

'Deshpal is incisive, approachable and focused.'

Rebecca Tuck KC

Old Square Chambers

'Rebecca is a very astute practitioner. Clients love her determination and her careful planning makes her a devastating cross examiner.'

2023 Silks

Nadia Motraghi KC

Old Square Chambers

'A great strategist who is superb with clients.'

Eleena Misra KC

Old Square Chambers

'A silk with an amazing intellect. Her advocacy is measured, she is fantastic on her feet, and clients feel very safe with her.'

2024 Silks

Stuart Brittenden KC

Old Square Chambers

'Stuart has an exceptional work ethic. He is very charming and thoughtful, and wears his considerable talent lightly, putting clients at ease. He has an easy style of advocacy which is respectful to both opponents and judges.'

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.

Melanie Tether

Old Square Chambers

'Melanie has an encyclopaedic knowledge of equal pay. She fearlessly fights for her clients, and is composed in cross-examination.'

Louise Chudleigh

Old Square Chambers

'A cogent advocate, with an exceptionally strong work ethic.'

Paras Gorasia

Old Square Chambers

'His advocacy is nuanced and thoughtful, and he is robustly analytical in his approach.'

Jack Mitchell

Old Square Chambers

'He is an authority on whistleblowing claims. He is personable, gives his clients confidence and reasonable on his feet.'

Robert Moretto

Old Square Chambers

'He is a highly experienced employment lawyer. He is measured and careful, excellent in tribunal, and in dealing sensitively with litigants in person.'

Nicola Newbegin

Old Square Chambers

'Nicola stands out for her thoroughness, fantastic eye for detail and strategy, determination, and client-friendly approach.'

Tom Kirk

Old Square Chambers

‘Tom is always meticulously prepared. He also has a good perception of the mood of the tribunal so able to judge effective strategy on cross-examination.’

Laura Gould

Old Square Chambers

'A star of the future.'

Spencer Keen

Old Square Chambers

'Spencer has innovative arguments. He has a direct and confident approach, and profound knowledge of discrimination law.'

Robin White

Old Square Chambers

'A razor-sharp cross-examiner.'

Rosalie Snocken

Old Square Chambers

'Rosalie is highly astute, very good at dealing with nervous witnesses, and is an excellent communicator.'

Madeline Stanley

Old Square Chambers

'Madeline is a great advocate - she is detail-oriented and technically excellent. An incredibly sharp junior.'

Laith Dilaimi

Old Square Chambers

'He is extremely good on technical areas of law, and his opponents are left thumbing their way through textbooks just to keep up with him.'

Rad Kohanzad

Old Square Chambers

'Rad is a passionate advocate. His cross-examination is impressive and he is very familiar with the Employment Appeal Tribunal.'

Darshan Patel

Old Square Chambers

'A sensible and pragmatic junior.'

Rachel Owusu-Agyei

Old Square Chambers

'A diligent junior with exceptional strategic awareness.'

Benjamin Jones

Old Square Chambers

'He goes above and beyond to deliver the very best results.'

Adam Ross

Old Square Chambers

'Adam is exceptionally thorough and detailed, leaving no stone unturned. His knowledge of the relevant legislation is immense and he has a fantastic ability to explain this to clients with legal ease. His advocacy is formidable.'

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.