> members of the employment and discrimination team

Chambers has built a strong reputation for expertise in employment and discrimination law and a commitment to vigorously upholding employees and workers rights. The team delivers a consistently approachable and committed service to both solicitors and lay clients.

Members specialise in advising and representing employees and workers in all areas of employment law, including unfair/wrongful dismissal, redundancy and restructuring, transfer of undertakings (TUPE), discrimination cases, equal pay, protective awards, flexible working, maternity/paternity rights, contractual disputes, employee status, health and safety/employers' liability. Instructions are also accepted in cases involving public law and human rights arguments arising from the full spectrum of employment and discrimination law.

Members have experience in all areas of discrimination law, across all the ‘protected characteristics’ (Equality Act 2010): age, disability, sex (including gender reassignment), race, religion and belief, and sexual orientation. Experience in this area includes litigation involving large corporations, local and central Government departments, as well as the armed forces.

Members also appear regularly in regulatory proceedings such as disciplinary hearings, proceedings before professional bodies and military disciplinary proceedings.

Underpinned by a strong commitment to union rights and workplace rights, members are willing to take on cases on a pro Bono basis as appropriate.

The team provide advisory and advocacy services in the ET, EAT, county and high courts as well as representation at hearings before a wide range of professional regulatory bodies. Chambers receives employment and discrimination law instructions from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), trade unions, law centres, Citizens Advice Bureaux, and leading trade union employment solicitors. In addition to dealing with single instructions, Chambers also has experience of working to specific service level requests.

Between 2002 and 2004 Chambers fulfilled a contract to provide specialist advice on all aspects of employment law for the LSC Specialist Support Pilot Project in Employment Law for the North West region.

Recommendations

"Garden Court North is prepared to take on claimant cases against major employers and attracts a high volume of cases countrywide; ..." Legal 500 (2008 edition) more

"Garden Court North Chambers tends to handle claimant work in employment cases and attracts a high volume of cases country wide..." Legal 500 (2007 edition) more

Reported cases

Members have appeared in a number of reported decisions of EAT cases. Recent notable cases include issues such as sexual orientation discrimination (Whyment-McCarthy), equal pay (Bury MBC v Hamilton), statutory grievance procedure (Parsons), remedy (Lyle) and procedure for application / claim (Unison v NPSSY).

> Click here to see details of reported cases.

Seminars

Members have experience of lecturing and providing legal professional training in employment law within the voluntary sector, for the Equality and Human Rights Commission(EHRC) the former Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), solicitors' firms, further/higher education and at various levels within the trade union movement.

> Click here to access our employment law seminars archive.

Experienced team

The breadth of experience of members and close working with other teams within Chambers brings additional benefits enabling members to advise on related aspects of a case including criminal defence, immigration, housing, judicial review / public law and potential breaches of the Human Rights Act 1998.