England - London Bar
1

Employment

Old Square Chambers

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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
1
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
1
Lord Hendy KC
Old Square Chambers
'A man who knows collective labour law inside out. He is able to charm a court.'
Betsan Criddle KC
2
Betsan Criddle KC
Old Square Chambers
'Betsan is unflappable. She has excellent technical skills and instills confidence with her incisive advice.'
Ben Collins KC
2
Ben Collins KC
Old Square Chambers
'A silk who provides high quality, commercially sound advice.'
Mark Sutton KC
2
Mark Sutton KC
Old Square Chambers
'Mark has a superb client manner, and his cross-examination is a joy to observe.'
Katharine Newton KC
2
Katharine Newton KC
Old Square Chambers
'Katharine is a brilliant tactician, agile on her feet and very hard-working.'
Simon Cheetham KC
4
Simon Cheetham KC
Old Square Chambers
'He is very approachable and has the ability to put witnesses at ease.'
Rebecca Tuck KC
4
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
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.
Eleena Misra KC
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
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.
Stuart Brittenden KC
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
1
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
1
Louise Chudleigh
Old Square Chambers
'A cogent advocate, with an exceptionally strong work ethic.'
2
Paras Gorasia
Old Square Chambers
'His advocacy is nuanced and thoughtful, and he is robustly analytical in his approach.'
Nicola Newbegin
2
Nicola Newbegin
Old Square Chambers
'Nicola stands out for her thoroughness, fantastic eye for detail and strategy, determination, and client-friendly approach.'
Jack Mitchell
2
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
2
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.'
Tom Kirk
2
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.’
Spencer Keen
3
Spencer Keen
Old Square Chambers
'Spencer has innovative arguments. He has a direct and confident approach, and profound knowledge of discrimination law.'
Rosalie Snocken
3
Rosalie Snocken
Old Square Chambers
'Rosalie is highly astute, very good at dealing with nervous witnesses, and is an excellent communicator.'
Madeline Stanley
3
Madeline Stanley
Old Square Chambers
'Madeline is a great advocate - she is detail-oriented and technically excellent. An incredibly sharp junior.'
Laith Dilaimi
4
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.'
4
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.'
Rachel Owusu-Agyei
5
Rachel Owusu-Agyei
Old Square Chambers
'A diligent junior with exceptional strategic awareness.'
Benjamin Jones
5
Benjamin Jones
Old Square Chambers
'He goes above and beyond to deliver the very best results.'
Adam Ross
5
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.
Alex Shellum
Alex Shellum
Old Square Chambers
'He is superb on the details, quickly gets to the heart of a case, and is very effective in cross-examinations.'

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