11KBW - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Professional Summary
- Solicitor at Slaughter
Aliya has recently acted in several high-profile cases. Current and recent highlights including acting in or assisting with:
A successful application in the Commercial Court for the first post-Brexit anti-suit injunction enforcing an employee's right to be sued in England.
A High Court employment and shareholding dispute against a leading F1 Team by its former CEO/Team Principal.
An ongoing challenge in the High Court to UK Government decisions to continue granting licences for arms exports to Israel in the context of the war in Gaza.
Advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice on the right to strike in international law.
A challenge before the European Court of Human Rights on the UK Government's Rwanda removal policy.
Successfully resisting a proposed judicial review challenge relating to voter ID requirements.
Proposed privacy claims in the context of wider civil fraud proceedings worth billions of dollars against a deceased oligarch.
Before coming to the Bar, Aliya was the Judicial Assistant to Lady Arden and Lord Kitchin in the Supreme Court, and UK Focal Point to the European Court of Human Rights' Superior Courts' Network, where she gained exposure to several high-profile cases across her areas of practice. She previously trained as a solicitor at Slaughter and May, and was an associate in the firm's Disputes and Investigations team.
Aliya has an LLB from SOAS, University of London (where she graduated top of the year, and won multiple prizes), and studied for the BCL at the University of Oxford (where she was awarded the Daniel Slifkin scholarship).
Aliya previously trained as a solicitor at Slaughter and May and worked as an associate in the firm's Disputes and Investigations team.
Job Titles:
- Fabrications Ltd V Information Commissioner
Job Titles:
- Director of Business Development
- Member of the Management Team
Andrew is widely regarded as a market-leading junior specialising in employment and commercial law. Since 2009, Andrew has been recommended by both the leading directories as a leading junior who is a great team-player in large scale litigation, as well as being a tough cross-examiner.
His employment practice encompasses complex and high value disputes in the Employment Tribunal, EAT, High Court and Court of Appeal. He is regularly instructed to appear in lengthy whistleblowing discrimination and whistleblowing trials, as well as commercial employment disputes. He has appeared in the Court of Appeal in the high profile employment cases of Smith v Pimlico Plumbers, Kong v Gulf International Bank and Mackenzie v AA.
Andrew's domestic sports law practice includes arbitrations, disciplinary proceedings and appearing before the Professional Football Compensation Committee. In addition to his work as an advocate, Andrew has experience of sitting as an arbitrator, an appeal board member and an independent investigator. In terms of his international practice, Andrew has worked on several cases in the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Basketball Arbitral Tribunal.
Andrew is ranked by the legal directories as a leading junior barrister in both employment and sports law. He is described as someone who "immediately inspires confidence and puts the client at ease", "quickly gets to grips with large and complex cases", and is a "very strong courtroom advocate" and "brilliant". Other recommendations may be viewed below.
Job Titles:
- Solicitor England & Wales 1984 - 1997 ( Partner, Herbert Smith, 1990 - 1997 )
BA (Oxon) Jurisprudence 1981
Solicitor England & Wales 1984-1997 (Partner, Herbert Smith, 1990-1997)
Solicitor Advocate Higher Courts (Civil) 1994
Solicitor, Hong Kong (1989)
Called to the Bar Oct 1997 (Inner Temple)
Also admitted in the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (BVI), Gibraltar, and the Cayman Islands.
Ben specialises public, education, public international, EU, employment and information law.
Ben is a member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and Attorney General's panels of counsel. He is a member of the Law Library of Ireland and has rights of audience before the courts of the European Union.
Ben is ranked in the Chambers & Partners and Legal500 as a leading individual in education law and "up and coming" and a "rising star" in public law/administrative law and human rights. He has been described as "serene under pressure", "able to grasp complex matters very quickly and provide sound advice, particularly when working to tight deadlines" and "excellent with clients".
Job Titles:
- Group V Information Commissioner
Cases Andrew Edge and Hannah Slarks secure high-profile settlement for ex-President of NUS who claimed she was dismissed for manifesting "anti-Zionism"
Job Titles:
- Member of the Attorney General 's a Panel
- Professional Summary
Cecilia is an experienced public law advocate with particular expertise in judicial review, human rights and information law. She regularly acts in complex public law and human rights challenges to legislation, Government policy, and regulatory action as well as challenges to individual public authority decisions in a wide range of contexts. She is expert in sensitive and contentious information law disputes. She has represented clients at all levels and in multiple appeals in the domestic courts and the European Court of Human Rights. She is a ranked junior in Public and Administrative Law and Civil Liberties.
Cecilia is a member of the Attorney General's A Panel of counsel. She is a CEDR accredited mediator.
Cecilia is an an accredited CEDR mediator. Cecilia also has experience as a mediation advocate in a range of contexts including community care and employment.
Job Titles:
- Marketing Manager
- Member of the Management Team
Christian has a broad practice encompassing public law and human rights, employment, education, sport, information and data protection and public procurement law.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Associate
- Professional Summary
Described as "one of the all-time greats" of employment law, Christopher Jeans KC has appeared in most of the leading employment cases of the modern era. His practice covers all areas of individual and collective employment law. He has won (and regularly been nominated for) the Chambers & Partners Employment Law Silk of the Year.
Chris is listed in the Chambers & Partners Bar 100 (listing him as one of the top KCs at the bar) where he is described as being "super in conference, and excellent with written opinions". He is valued for his "ability to relate to clients and put them at ease on even the most complex of issues".
Christopher Jeans also has significant expertise and experience in high-profile media and sports cases, often as an off shoot to his "cutting edge" employment work.
A popular speaker and engaging communicator, Christopher Jeans has broadcasted on TV and radio and regularly speaks on employment law to a variety of legal and non-legal audiences.
Christopher is a well-established junior with a broad public law practice and a particular specialism in media and privacy law, the devolution settlement and in Brexit-related matters. He has appeared in the most significant constitutional law cases of the last few years, including the Article 50 Brexit case, the Scottish independence referendum reference, the Rwanda deportation challenge and the dispute over the prorogation of Parliament. He has acted as sole advocate before the High Court, Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the EU and acts for Government, individual claimants, commercial clients and a wide variety of public sector bodies. He is also a leading expert in information and data protection law, having acted in hundreds of such cases and advising on the most complex policy and operational issues arising in those areas of law. Christopher is a highly regarded academic writer, publishing widely in journals and is the co-author of the leading textbook Bradley, Ewing & Knight on Constitutional and Administrative Law (2022, Pearson). He is an editor of the White Book and a member of the Editorial Committee of Public Law.
Christopher is a member of the Attorney General's Panel of Counsel. He won the Legal 500 Human Rights and Public Law junior of the year award in 2022 and has been nominated in equivalent categories in previous and subsequent years. He is ranked as a Band 1 junior by the directories in Administrative & Public Law and EU Law, and a Star Individual in Data Protection. The directories have recently described him as: the "king of data rights" (Legal 500, 2021), "utterly first class" (Legal 500, 2020), "a superstar of the data and privacy world" (Legal 500, 2024) and having "a brain the size of a planet, and is very impressive and calm and collected in court" (Chambers & Partners, 2021). Clients have commented that: "Chris is an extraordinarily brilliant lawyer. He is steeped in public law, his drafting is so precise and beautifully written and his judgement is absolutely spot on" (Chambers & Partners, 2024).
Christopher joined chambers from Australia in October 2018. He was a lawyer in Australia in 2011 and commenced practising as a self-employed barrister in January 2015.
He accepts instructions across most of Chambers' core areas of practice.
Prior to commencing practice at the bar, he was a clerk to a number of judges including the Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Australia. He also worked as a graduate lawyer for a leading Australian claimant firm and as a political advisor to parliamentary candidates, senators and parliamentary office-holders.
Christopher has lectured at the University of Sydney and the University of Technology, Sydney in evidence, civil and criminal procedure and torts. He has contributed to a number of Australian legal texts including the Australian Privacy Reporter (providing substantial updates following a major overhaul of Australian data protection law) and the Australian Torts Reporter (authoring chapters on economic torts and defamation).
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Administration
- Member of the Management Team
Job Titles:
- Member of the Attorney General 's C Panel
- Professional Summary
Daniel's practice spans Chambers' core areas of work, with a particular focus on commercial, employment, business protection, data protection and public law matters.
He is ranked in the Legal 500 for administrative and public law, data protection, and employment law, and in Chambers and Partners in administrative and public and data protection law. Daniel has also been appointed to both the Attorney General's and the Equality and Human Rights Commission's C Panels of Counsel and to Sport Resolutions' Pro Bono Legal Advice Panel.
His recent and current cases include Stobart Group Ltd v Tinkler [2019] EWHC 258 (Comm), concerning the prominent boardroom dispute at the FTSE 500 company; Abramovich v Hoffmann (High Court, Ch. D), a high-profile, high-value breach of duties and tax restitution claim; Bank Mellat v HM Treasury regarding the legality of financial sanctions placed on the Iranian bank; and Weaver & ors v British Airways plc, the group litigation brought against British Airways arising out of the cyber-attack on BA in autumn 2018.
Daniel was previously the Judicial Assistant to Lord Sumption and Lord Carnwath at the Supreme Court, assisting the Justices on a number of the leading and high-profile cases across Chambers' areas of practice. Before coming to the Bar he was a fast-streamer at the Ministry of Defence.
Daniel is also a member of the Attorney General's C Panel of Treasury Counsel. He acted for the successful defendants in R (EU Lotto Ltd and others) v Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport [2019] 1 CMLR 41, an EU law challenge to the ban on betting on non-UK Euromillions lotteries; and R (MP) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care [2018] EWHC [3392] (Admin), consultation- and PSED-based challenges to reforms to the regime for charging ‘overseas visitors' for NHS services.
Job Titles:
- Home Secretary - Judicial Review of the Use of Terrorism Powers to Seize Journalistic Material
- Secretary of State for the Home Department
David Miranda v Home Secretary - judicial review of the use of terrorism powers to seize journalistic material.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Fees Team
- Fees Clerk Assistant
Before coming to the Bar, Hannah worked with a number of charities and public bodies, including the Public Law Project, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, INQUEST and the Care Quality Commission.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Employee
- Banker
- Charity Defending a Claim That a Lesbian Junior Employee
- Contributor to "Tolley 's Employment Law Handbook
- Disabled Medical Student V Russell Group University
- Domestic Migrant Worker V Employer
- Independent Investigator
- Information Commissioner
- Professional Summary
- Senior Partner V Financial Services LLP
Harini Iyengar practises as a veteran senior junior barrister, called in 1999, who has spent her entire career at 11KBW. She has amassed wide-ranging experience and expertise across Employment, Public and Commercial law.
The Chambers and Partners and Legal 500 directories recommend Harini as a leading practitioner in Data Protection, Employment, Education, and Professional Discipline and Regulation, and also recommend her as an Independent Investigator. According to her clients, she combines her "strong technical ability" with "a commercial view", and her "pragmatic advice" with a "thoughtful, open and receptive" style. They describe her as "a powerfully strong advocate" who is "gentle but persistent" in cross-examination. Known for her particular expertise in matters relating to Equality and Discrimination, Harini was one of the first Civil practitioners to undertake specialist training in working with vulnerable witnesses, over a decade ago. As an experienced senior junior, Harini is happy to lead or to be led.
Harini usually appears in high-value, legally-complex cases in the Court of Appeal, High Court, Employment Appeal Tribunal, Upper Tribunal Administrative Appeals Chamber, First-tier Tribunal Information Rights, First-tier Tribunal Special Educational Needs and Disability, Employment Tribunal, and specialist disciplinary or regulatory tribunals. These days, she is often instructed by Russell Group universities, independent schools, businesses ranging from major financial institutions to major health foundations, professional regulators, public bodies, and individual professionals or CEOs. During her career, Harini has represented individuals from all walks of life. In suitable cases, Harini accepts instructions under the public access rules.
Harini Iyengar's portrait is displayed at Brasenose College, University of Oxford as one of 12 "Amazing BNC Women" chosen by the students out of 105 nominations to represent 40 years of co-education. A portrait of Harini with her parents also featured in the professional photographic exhibition "Where I Come From" by Bill Knight, which depicted children of a generation of immigrants who came to Britain in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
Harini Iyengar first branched out into Data Protection and Information law as a senior junior barrister four years ago. Bringing a wealth of wide-ranging public and regulatory law experience and expertise to her Data Protection and Information practice, Harini quickly developed her excellent reputation. Harini regularly advises and represents educational institutions, public bodies, the Information Commissioner, and individuals in technically-complex, high-value and high-profile matters.
She is now ranked as a leading practitioner in Chambers & Partners directory, where her Information clients report, "Harini Iyengar is extremely intelligent and very user-friendly, making it a pleasure to work with her," and, "She has very broad and deep knowledge and is extremely good at presenting complex issues in a clear way. It's always a pleasure to work with her."
Harini Iyengar has advised the Information Commissioner on several high-value investigations leading to enforcement proceedings under the Data Protection Act 2018, GDPR, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003.
Harini Iyengar has been ranked by directories as a leading practitioner of Education law for the last decade.
Harini is instructed by Russell Group universities, independent schools, academies and local education authorities, and has also acted for individual governors, senior academics, teachers and students. She covers the whole breadth from High Court judicial reviews of the OIA's decisions or appeals against regulatory decisions, Employment Appeal Tribunal cases involving schools or universities, to appearances in the First-tier Tribunal Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. From time to time, Harini still receives instructions to appear in the County Court, in cases concerning discrimination in the provision of educational services, where the institution's values-based concerns outweigh the financial value of the claim.
Harini has also undertaken significant independent investigations for universities (see Independent Investigations menu for details) and brings insights from her own experience of being an Independent Governor at a university for six years.
Harini Iyengar represented a local authority and school in a case involving claims that a teacher had been subjected to unlawful detriments because of trade union activities.
Harini Iyengar has extensive experience advising and representing her clients in cases of discrimination on each of the protected grounds under the Equality Act 2010, including employment claims, claims concerning the provision of services, equality impact assessments, the public sector equality duty, and governmance issues.
Harini Iyengar is the sole author of "A Practical Guide to the Law of Gender Pay Gap Reporting" (Law Brief Publishing, 2019) and contributed a chapter on Equal Pay to "Women's Legal Landmarks" (Hart Publishing, 2018). She presented a paper on Equal Pay as part of the Women's Budget Group delegation to the International Association for Feminist Economics annual conference.
Harini Iyengar defended an NHS Foundation Trust facing complex disability discrimination claims from a current and long-term employee, who had a very unusual and complicated mental health condition, whose vulnerabilities also necessitated reasonable adjustments to be made in the Tribunal to the method of cross examination. Harini has been trained to work with vulnerable witnesses.
Harini Iyengar was a member of both Employment Lawyers' Association Working Groups which formally responded to the Government's two consultations on reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004.
Harini Iyengar represented information sector business facing claim of direct race discrimination and unfair dismissal from an account manager.
Harini Iyengar represented renowned senior university academic bringing very high value claims of sex, race and disability discrimination against a well-known university and named professors
Chambers & Partners Directory 2024 recommends Harini Iyengar as a barrister with specialism in conducting Independent Investigations, saying, "Harini Iyengar is an established barrister who is well versed in handling complex and sensitive investigations, particularly those relating to bullying and harassment. Her experience in this area covers a variety of settings including local authorities, schools and businesses."
Harini has a busy - and generally confidential - practice as an Independent Investigator. She has investigated for a range of prestigious companies and institutions. Harini has expertise in complicated fact-based as well as legally-complex investigations, for example, investigations involving concerns raised by and against multiple individuals, vulnerable witnesses with protected characteristics or health conditions, professional codes of conduct, and data protection issues. She brings a balance of pragmatism and sensitivity. Her ability to establish a good rapport with witnesses is valued by clients.
As Independent Investigator, Harini Iyengar conducted an independent investigation for a university into very serious whistleblowing allegations of improper and unlawful conduct on the part of very senior staff made in what turned out to be a "poison pen" letter.
Harini Iyengar was the sole Investigator for a Listed National Infrastructure business, appointed in accordance with an out of court settlement of very high value race discrimination litigation. It was a substantial investigation which required her to hear witness evidence and consider extensive documentary evidence in order to make findings of fact about 44 allegations of bullying and race discrimination, including use of racist name-calling.
Harini Iyengar was appointed by a democratic body to investigate reciprocal complaints and grievances concerning unlawful direct, indirect and associative discrimination, harassment and stalking which had been made by elected representatives against one another.
Harini Iyengar is recommended by the legal directories as a leading practitioner in Professional Discipline and Regulation.
She is experienced in representing clients in disciplinary hearings, internal appeals and High Court appeals, and also in assisting clients in the role of legal advisor to panels which are hearing disciplinary matters. Harini undertakes cases concerning a wide range of occupations and membership organisations, and has particular expertise in regulation of the legal, health and social care, and education sectors. Harini has represented the Bar Standards Board on some of the highest profile and most reported disciplinary cases in recent years, including on enforcement of the rules against sexual harassment. A number of her cases are confidential because of their sensitive nature, but representative samples of her work in this area include the following.
Harini has been a contributor to "Tolley's Employment Law Handbook" for nearly 20 years.
Harini Iyengar's portrait is displayed at Brasenose College, University of Oxford as one of 12 "Amazing BNC Women" chosen by the students out of 105 nominations to represent 40 years of co-education. A portrait of Harini with her parents also featured in the professional photographic exhibition "Where I Come From" by Bill Knight, which depicted children of a generation of immigrants who came to Britain in search of a better life for themselves and their families.
Harini is an experienced Director, including as a University's Independent Governor from 2016 to 2022. She also holds the examined award in "Finance for Non-financial Directors" from the Institute of Directors.
Harini was formerly politically active as a founder member and elected officer of the Women's Equality Party, and she stood for election to public office seven times between 2016 and 2022. In 2019, Harini attended a week-long course in anti-racist leadership and public policy at the Blavatnik School of Government, through a scholarship in conjunction with Operational Black Vote, Magdalen College Oxford, UK Parliament and Lloyds Banking Group; she presented a paper on Equal Pay as part of the Women's Budget Group delegation to the International Association for Feminist Economics annual conference; and she attended the European Women's Lobby conference in Brussels as a representative of the UK branch of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom.
In her free time, Harini enjoys studying the Hindi and Tamil languages in evening classes, scuba diving as a Master Scuba Diver and certified Ice Diver, cooking, and spending time with her three children.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Administrative Law Bar Association
- Professional Summary
Heather Emmerson practises in the areas of public law, regulatory law, professional discipline, data protection and information law. She is ranked as a leading junior in Chambers and Partners across all main areas of her practice and described as "fiercely bright", "a genuine rising star" and "a consummate professional". Heather has appeared before a wide range of courts, tribunals and public inquiries and is regularly instructed in proceedings before the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.
Heather has particular expertise in local government law and is regularly instructed to advise local authorities on a range of public law issues and bringing and defending claims. She has extensive experience of conducting judicial review claims in the High Court and has been instructed in a number of the leading public law cases relating to local authorities including (R (Stirling) v Haringey London Borough Council [2014] UKSC 56 which is the leading authority on consultation and Hotak v Southwark London Borough Council [2015] UKSC 30 concerning the "priority need" provisions of the Housing Act 1996. Heather is ranked as a leading junior in local government law and described as "versatile, bright and highly personable" in this field. Heather is a member of the Attorney General's B Panel of Treasury Counsel.
Heather has extensive experience in the field of regulatory law and professional discipline including advising regulatory bodies and regulated individuals and firms. She is frequently instructed in disciplinary proceedings and High Court claims in this area. Heather regularly appears before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal and is also instructed in wide range of judicial review proceedings and statutory appeals relating to the regulation of lawyers and medical professionals. Heather is ranked as a leading junior in Legal 500 and Chambers and Partners in the sphere of professional discipline and described as "hardworking, intelligent and charming to work with", "incredibly bright, practical and user-friendly, "a wonderful advocate" and "a genuine rising star, she is a consummate professional in terms of application, preparation and presentation."
Heather recently represented the public body of medical practitioners in MXM v General Medical Council where an 18-month interim order of suspension imposed on a doctor was considered.
Heather is an experienced data protection and privacy practitioner. She regulatory advises public bodies, individuals and companies on data protection issues including data breach cases. She is currently instructed in relation to i) a ground-breaking group litigation claim arising from a data breach at a FTSE 100 company, ii) an appeal due to be heard by the Supreme Court in July 2017 relating to the retention of historic gender data of transgender customers by the Department for Work and Pensions and iii) a number of claims before the European Court of Human Rights relating to the retention of biometric data and conviction information.
Heather is a public law and human rights specialist and is able to apply her experience and knowledge of article 8 issues to the sphere of data protection. Heather also has a keen interest in media law and was instructed as part of the team of Counsel to the Inquiry on the Leveson Inquiry in relation to the press and the media. She is ranked as a leading junior in this area in Chambers and Partners and described as "fiercely bright."
Heather is an experienced information law practitioner. She regularly advises on information law issues in a range of contexts. She has acted for and advised central and local government, regulatory bodies, NGOs and individuals on FOIA issues and has extensive experience of appearing in both the First Tier Tribunal and Upper Tribunal in FOIA cases.
Heather is a member of the Administrative Law Bar Association, the Association of Regulatory and Disciplinary Lawyers and the Procurement Lawyers Association.
The main legal directories rank James as a leading junior for, variously, administrative and public law (including local government), data protection law and education law. Recent comments include: "Imaginative, industrious and full of sound judgement; he will go far" and "He has a fantastic legal mind. He gets his head around really technical arguments, and is easy to work with".
Jane Oldham specialises in public, local government, information and education law. She has appeared at all appellate levels. The directories have for many years ranked Jane consistently as a leading junior in public and administrative, local government and education law, saying in 2023 that "she has a fine track record of handling sophisticated public, information and education law matters". Jane is Chambers UK 2023's top-ranked local government junior at the London Bar.
Julian reached national attention as Counsel to the Inquiry in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry, with The Times reporting on his "firm but polite cross-examination". In recognition of this work, as well as his representation of the Chief Medical Officer in the Covid-19 Inquiry and other prominent inquests and inquiries, he was awarded the Junior of the Year award by Chambers and Partners.
He has been consistently recommended in all the leading directories, with Chambers and Partners 2024 commenting: "Julian is highly intelligent and a very hard-working barrister" and "Julian provides an outstanding service. He is always responsive and available to assist".
Julian acts in a wide range of public law, information, media and technology (IMT) law, healthcare law and commercial law fields. As an experienced member of the Attorney General's ‘A' Panel of Counsel, Julian has been involved in some of the Government's most complex and sensitive cases, including in several challenges before the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. As set out in the Specialisms section below, he has appeared in cases as varied as challenges to detention by UK forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, the resettlement of the Chagos Islanders, the leading financial sanctions challenge and a data breach involving one of the world's largest tech companies.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Associate
- Professional Summary
Julian Wilson has 40 years' experience in business dispute resolution, particularly in matters involving issues of business ownership, governance and reward, and the protection of business interests from unlawful competition, fraud and fiduciary wrongdoing. Clients particularly value his commercial judgment. He was a commercial litigation partner in a leading City law firm before he joined Chambers in 1997. He retired from full time advocacy in 2023 but continues, as an Associate Member, to provide his advi sory services. He also brings the value of his experience and insight in to independent evaluations, negotiations, the mediation of disputes, and the sensitive handling of internal investigations and the chairing of internal disciplinary processes.
Katherine practises in employment, public and education law, and is ranked in the legal directories as a leading junior in each of these fields. In Chambers and Partners and the Legal 500 she has been described as "a phenomenal advocate"; "a class act"; "a brilliant mind"; "a clear thinker"; "an acute analyst"; and "incisive, confident, and intellectually and tactically sound".
Katherine came to the UK from Canada on a Commonwealth Scholarship. She has a doctorate in political philosophy from Balliol College, Oxford, and worked as a British Academy Research Fellow at the Centre for the Study of Social Justice in Oxford before joining Chambers.
Katherine's practice covers all of chambers' core areas, with a particular interest in employment, business protection, data protection and public law.
Katherine is ranked as a "Rising Star" in employment law by Legal 500. She is described as "emerging as a real star of the junior employment bar" who is "highly sought after in both High Court and tribunal litigation" and has "judgment well beyond her years".
Some of Katherine's recent cases include:
Representing Index on Censorship (led by Aileen McColgan KC) in its intervention in support of the appeal before the EAT in Forstater v CGD Europe & others[2021] IRLR 706, concerning the protection of gender critical beliefs under the Equality Act.
Acting for HMRC (led by Julian Milford KC and Rupert Paines) in Jennifer Webster v HMRC, high-profile data protection proceedings in the Media and Communications List brought by a former US citizen challenging the transfer of financial account information to the US Internal Revenue Service pursuant to treaties between the UK and US governments.
Appearing in the Supreme Court (led by Andrew Sharland KC) in TW Logistics v Essex County Council [2021] UKSC 4, concerning the registration of part of a commercial port as a Town and Village Green.
Representing Charlie Hughes in his JR challenge for medicinal cannabis on the NHS for the treatment of epilepsy (led by Tom Cross).
Leo has been involved in a number of commercial law matters, advising on and assisting with both contentious and non-contentious issues. These have involved matters such as team moves, springboard injunctions, fiduciary duties, economic torts, share transfers, misrepresentation and deceit. He has particular experience of commercial litigation in the finance and credit industry, frequently advising and representing banks, investment firms and credit reference agencies.
Job Titles:
- Bursary and Newton Trust Bursary ( Christ 's College, Cambridge )
Job Titles:
- Credit Controller
- Member of the Fees Team
Job Titles:
- Scholarship
- Scholarship - Lincolns
Job Titles:
- Member of the Management Team
- Development & Compliance Director
Michael Lee has a broad practice, with a particular focus on employment and commercial matters. He has extensive advocacy experience and regularly appears in a range of courts and tribunals
Michael is recommended in the employment sections of all the leading directories, described as "a go-to junior for employment litigation and associated high court work" and as a "go-to counsel, who is hugely responsive and great with clients… always well prepared, never misses a trick, and his advocacy is strong", whilst noting that "Michael has brilliant legal knowledge" and "is excellent tactically and very good with clients." Michael has been recommended as being "particularly strong on complex discrimination matters and employment issues with a commercial twist".
Michael practises across Chambers' specialisms, with a particular focus on employment, commercial, data protection, media and sports law. He has been described in Chambers and Partners as "very bright", "very personable", "commercial", "practical", "a safe pair of hands in tribunal", "collaborative, supportive and a pleasure to work with", "always attuned to a client's anxieties and ambitions in the case", "incredibly thorough and committed", "a very talented advocate", "pragmatic", "strategic", "excellent technically", "very responsive" and as someone who "works under real time pressures to produce fantastically high-quality work product".
Michael has appeared in matters before a wide range of courts and tribunals both in the UK and abroad, from the Employment Tribunal to the Court of Appeal to arbitral tribunals. He acts in, and advises on, the following matters in particular:
High Court commercial and business protection proceedings, including those concerning team moves, breach of confidence, restrictive covenants, shareholder disputes and agency disputes.
Statutory employment law claims, including complex and high-value claims of discrimination, whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal, and claims involving TUPE and equal pay matters.
Data protection, media and information law matters, including proceedings alleging breach of the UK GDPR / DPA 2018 and defamation, and information law matters for the Information Commissioner's Office.
Before coming to the Bar, Michael spent six months as a ‘stagiaire' in Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer's international arbitration team in Paris, assisting on English-law commercial arbitrations and investor-state disputes. He also worked on death-penalty appeals in Louisiana, and as a consultant in the Legal Office of the United Nations World Food Programme in Rome.
Job Titles:
- Manchester Mental Health and Social Care NHS Trust and Unison
Job Titles:
- Information Commissioner and Devon County Council EA / 2021 / 0349
Nigel is a highly experienced practitioner in all areas of employment law, business protection and professional negligence particularly arising in the employment context.
Job Titles:
- Information Commissioner and Birmingham Children 's Trust EA / 2021 / 0146
Oliver's practice spans public and human rights, employment, European Union and competition, and commercial law. He has appeared in courts from Port Talbot and Great Yarmouth to the Supreme Court and the European Court of Human Rights.
He is ranked by Chambers and Partners as a "Notable practitioner" and "Up and coming" in Administrative & Public Law, and by Legal 500 as a "Rising star" in Administrative Law and Human Rights. He has been described in the directories as "an excellent advocate", "impressive", "diligent and able to robustly defend a case", "rigorous, responsive, and very intelligent", "very responsive", "really easy to deal with" and whose "written work is always very good". He also "communicates very easily", "has very good written advocacy" and "provides very clear strategic objectives and tailors his advice to that".
Oliver has extensive experience of working both as sole counsel and as a member of large teams. His clients range from individuals, start-ups and NGOs to multinational businesses, government departments and foreign states. His recent cases include:
A high-profile challenge to a school's ban on prayer rituals (R (NN) v Michaela Community School).
A successful appeal to the Supreme Court concerning the provision of local authority mental health after-care services (R (Worcestershire County Council) v Secretary of State for Health and Social Care).
Group claims by thousands of UK businesses against Mastercard and Visa for breaches of competition law (The Merchant Interchange Fee Umbrella Proceedings), including the landmark constitutional law ‘Volvo limitation judgment' concerning the status post-Brexit of rights accrued under EU law while the UK was a member of the EU.
A £19 billion judicial review claim against HM Treasury by 72 trade unions (R (Fire Brigades Union, British Medical Association and ors) v HM Treasury).
A ground-breaking case on whether employment tribunal claims by foreign citizens with UK permanent residence are barred by state immunity (Muda v Malaysia).
Acting for disability rights campaigners in their highly publicised challenge to UK abortion laws (Heidi Crowter v UK).
From 2020 to 2021, Oliver was a Judicial Assistant at the UK Supreme Court and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, working on the most complex and high-profile cases in the UK and from across the Commonwealth. He maintains an academic interest in his core practice areas and has published several academic articles, as well as contributing to a leading practitioner's textbook on public law. In 2024 he was elected to the Executive Committee of the Human Rights Law Association Executive Committee. He is also a trustee of an international development charity building resilience and life skills in refugee camps in Uganda, Liberia and Rwanda.
Before joining the Bar, Oliver was on the civil service fast-stream. He also advised on human rights issues at Liberty, advocated for the abolition of the death penalty at Reprieve, and volunteered as a caseworker at the Bar Pro Bono Unit. He received a first class degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University, where he graduated second in the year in his subject and won several scholarships and prizes. He has taught maths, physics and chemistry and enjoys cases that arise in a technical or scientific context.
Oliver accepts instructions across all of Chambers' core areas of practice, including employment, public law and human rights, and data protection matters. He acts in, and advises on, the following matters in particular:
Statutory employment law claims, including complex discrimination and whistleblowing claims. Oliver has a particular interest in claims involving disability discrimination and discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.
Data protection claims, including proceedings alleging breach of the UK GDPR and/or the Data Protection Act 2018.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Oliver was the Judicial Assistant to the Senior President of Tribunals in the Court of Appeal and taught law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has a first-class degree in Jurisprudence and a Distinction on the BCL from the University of Oxford.
Job Titles:
- Professional Summary
- Specialist
Patrick Halliday is a highly regarded specialist in procurement and employment law. His practice also covers public law; pensions law (focusing on public sector schemes, discrimination and public law aspects of pensions); and commercial disputes involving former employees and directors.
Patrick is a member of the Attorney General's "A Panel" of counsel.
He is recommended by the legal directories in four practice areas: procurement; employment; administrative & public; and pensions. Chambers & Partners, the Legal 500 and Who's Who Legal say the following about him:
Job Titles:
- Members of the Constituency Labour Party of Bassetlaw
- S Challenge to Selection Decision of the Labour Party 's NEC
Acted as sole counsel on behalf of Sally Gimson, whom members of the Constituency Labour Party of Bassetlaw selected as their candidate for the 2019 election, after the NEC refused to endorse her candidacy. Instructed by Mishcon de Reya.
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Administration Assistant