Retour United Kingdom - The Bar

Leading Silks

Michael Ford KCOld Square Chambers 'Michael has an encyclopedic knowledge of employment law, able to track the historical development of a particular legal concept, and explain it in simple terms.'

Leading Juniors

Julian AllsopGuildhall Chambers ‘Julian is pragmatic, concise, calm under pressure and reassures clients with his demeanour and approach. He is meticulous in his preparation and research.’ 
James BromigeQueen Square Chambers ‘James is a good advocate with great attention to detail and a remarkable ability to retain information, cross-examination and make submissions.’   
Sarah Clarke3PB ‘Sarah is very competent and instils confidence in clients and instructing solicitors. She is very approachable and able to handle both tricky cases and tricky opponents.’   
Daniella GilbertPump Court Chambers ‘Daniella is hugely skilled and knowledgeable barrister who goes above and beyond in ensuring cases are presented as best as possible.’
Gareth Graham3PB ‘Gareth is a fierce cross-examiner. He approaches advocacy with skill and determination to succeed. He is excellent with clients and witnesses, providing much-needed support and reassurance when explaining complex legal issues.’ 
Debbie GrennanGuildhall Chambers ‘Debbie's advocacy is excellent - strong and persuasive to whatever argument she is presenting. She is adept at assessing an overall case quickly, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses but always with a strategy ready.' 
Spencer KeenOld Square Chambers 'Spencer is an incredibly knowledgeable employment lawyer with a charming manner allied to a first-rate brain.'
Douglas LeachGuildhall Chambers ‘Douglas is very analytical and hard working. He can quickly and incisively identify the legal issues and provide a clear strategy.’ 
Craig Ludlow3PB ‘Craig is efficient and responsive with meticulous attention to detail. He is a strong advocate.’ 
Jack MitchellOld Square Chambers 'Jack is an excellent advocate and brings real gravitas to any court or tribunal he appears in.'
Heather PlattPump Court Chambers ‘Heather is a well-rounded barrister with a particular stand-out strength in her ability to read the room and adapt her style of advocacy and approach to the situation.’
Allan RobertsGuildhall Chambers ‘Allan is a phenomenal barrister and has a brilliant legal mind.’ 
Nicholas SmithGuildhall Chambers ‘Nicholas is an excellent advocate. He is persuasive, thorough and pragmatic.’
Stephen Wyeth3PB ‘Stephen is an exceptional barrister who is a safe pair of hands for any client.’ 
Matthew Curtis3PB ‘Matthew is a phenomenal counsel. He is an entirely safe pair of hands, and his technical knowledge is brilliant. He is thorough and gives considered thought to strategy on each case.’
Tim DracassPump Court Chambers ‘Tim is detailed and well prepared, an expert in the field, client-friendly and responsive.’
Kerry GardinerGuildhall Chambers 'Kerry is well prepared and insightful and gets to the nub of the issues in complex cases quickly.'
Naomi Gyane Pump Court Chambers ‘Naomi is an excellent advocate. She can tailor her advocacy based on the nature of the claim and is excellent at thinking on her feet.’
Barnaby LargeNo.18 Barristers Chambers ‘Barnaby has a real strength in being prepared for anything. He is meticulous and thorough, and his advice is clear and incredibly helpful.’ 
Kara LoraineOld Square Chambers 'Kara is calm and methodical. She is strong at delivering a case in submissions.'
Andrew MacPhail3PB ‘Andrew is an excellent advocate. He is clear, concise, and always able to get to the bottom of any issue. He is knowledgeable and provides practical guidance and support when dealing with tricky matters.’
Geraint ProbertGuildhall Chambers ‘Geraint is a technically gifted advocate. He is quick thinking, articulate and very strategic.’ 
Melanie TetherOld Square Chambers 'Melanie is exceptionally clever and good at distilling complex facts into clear, structured and persuasive documents. She is hard-working, responsive and always ready to get into the thick of a matter, providing practical and inciteful input.'
Mark WilliamsQueen Square Chambers ‘Mark's courtroom presence is impressive, with an ability to put complex legal issues into terms that are easy to understand.’  
Katherine Anderson – 3PB 'Katherine has good attention to detail, is diligent, and has a good client manner.'
Fergus Currie – Guildhall Chambers ‘Fergus is excellent with clients in the conference and at court, a good listener and analyst, and provides good legal and practical advice.’ 
John Franklin -No.18 Barristers Chambers 'John is a tenacious advocate and excellent cross-examiner. He is very empathetic to the client's circumstances and provides excellent client care.'
Mark Green  – 3PB ‘Mark is fantastic with clients. He is a proficient and robust cross-examiner. He is a true safe pair of hands.’ 
Oliver Isaacs – Old Square Chambers 'Oliver is a smooth advocate, a skilled cross-examiner, and can fight his client's corner effectively whilst remaining calm and courteous to witnesses and opponents alike.'
Anna Johns - Queen Square Chambers 'Anna is efficient in her analysis of a complicated fact pattern and quick to identify the underlying issues of significance.'
Jennifer Linford – Queen Square Chambers ‘Jennifer is an excellent barrister, with an impeccable attention to detail and can quickly distil complex cases. She is persuasive and able to think quickly on her feet during hearings and client conferences.’  
Grace Nicholls – 3PB 'Grace has an appropriate advocacy style and is extremely considerate and measured.'
Daniel PiddingtonCollege Chambers ‘Daniel is an incredibly persuasive advocate with a calm and effective style. He is always polite, and his attention to detail and ability to decipher complex issues is excellent. His technical skills are perfectly complemented by his ability to put witnesses and clients at ease.’ 
Simon Tibbitts3PB ‘Simon is an excellent and confident advocate. His preparation is immaculate, and he quickly grips with complex legal matters.’ 
Ian WheatonNo.18 Barristers Chambers ‘Ian has an excellent manner with clients. He has an innate ability to cut through the complexities of a case and quickly get to the key issues in a case.’ 

Rising Stars

Charlotte Mallin-Martin - Guildhall Chambers 'Charlotte is impressive, effective in cross-examinations and incisive in submissions. She has the skill of a much more senior barrister.'

Employment in Regional Bar

3PB


3PB is ‘a chambers with a wide skill set and many highly skilled barristers’, advising on the full spectrum of employment law, including unfair dismissal cases, TUPE transfers, redundancy, unlawful deductions from pay and trade union disputes. Sarah Clarke is representing the claimant in Lo Bianco v South West Ambulance Service, a case concerning allegations of race and sex discrimination, and is known for her ‘first-class attention to detail’. Gareth Graham recently acted for IBM (United Kingdom) Ltd in an unfair dismissal claim by a part-time employee and is well regarded for his ‘exceptional courtroom command’. ‘Brilliant barrister’ Stephen Wyeth successfully defended a pre-school in Jones v St Mark’s Pre-school, a claim for unfair dismissal and detrimental treatment for whistleblowing. The other name to note is Craig Ludlow, who garners praise for his ‘persuasive advocacy’.

Les références

‘The clerks are brilliant, very responsive and always happy to help out. Patrick Robson and Russell Porter always go the extra mile.’

‘Matthew Scanlan and Patrick Robson are timely and helpful.’

‘Patrick Robson is responsive, straightforward and friendly.’

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Guildhall Chambers


Guildhall Chambers is ‘a fantastic set comprising excellent barristers’ who regularly appear before the employment tribunals, the High Court and the higher appellate courts. Julian Allsop is ‘an excellent barrister’ and successfully acted for the defendant in Lal v DVSA, a case related to allegations of whistleblowing detriment, victimisation and unfair dismissal. ‘Prompt and pragmaticDebbie Grennan recently represented the school in Higgs v Farmor’s School, a case concerning a Christian administrative employee who was dismissed by the school after making Facebook posts which were alleged to be transphobic. Sarah Hornblower joined from Colleton Chambers in August 2024.

Les références

‘Rob McDonald is fantastic. He is responsive and works hard to ensure needs are met.’

‘The clerks at the chambers provide a fantastic service. Robert McDonald is particularly impressive. He is very responsive, friendly and always looking to assist us in finding appropriate counsel.’

‘Rob McDonald is a fabulous, attentive, efficient and professional.’

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Pump Court Chambers


Pump Court Chambers is a ‘go-to set‘ for employment law matters and handles the full range of contentious and non-contentious mandates for both employers and employees. Heather Platt is a ‘very pragmatic lawyer who quickly gets to grips with the issues of the case‘ and is acting on behalf of a social worker bringing a race discrimination and victimisation claim in Bethune v LB of Newham. Naomi Gyane is a ‘very bright, insightful, committed and thoughtful individual‘ and successfully handled dismissal and disability discrimination claims for the claimant in Rouse v Andron Contract Services Ltd. Timothy Dracass is ‘a measured and persuasive advocate‘ who represented the respondent against a complex equal pay claim in Barnard v Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Authority.

Les références

‘Dean Cunniff is excellent, responsive, cooperative and works hard to facilitate things.’

‘Dean Cunniff provides impeccable service and is particularly helpful and responsive.’

‘Dean Cunniff and Jonathan Cue are good to work with, personable and commercial in handling issues and happy to adopt a pragmatic approach when called for.’

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Queen Square Chambers


Queen Square Chambers is a ‘preferred set for employment work’, offering services to national and regional clients. James Bromige’s advocacy is described as ‘powerful, concise and highly effective‘ and he is currently working on Hunter v Carnvial plc, an unfair dismissal claim on behalf of a mother dismissed during the Covid-19 lockdown while she was on maternity leave. Mark Williams has longstanding experience of representing both claimants and respondents in employment tribunals across England and Wales, in whistleblowing, harassment, victimisation and discrimination. Jennifer Linford is praised for her ‘fantastic technical acumen, pragmatic advice, and assured advocacy‘ and successfully acted for the respondent facing allegations of unfair dismissal following a whistleblowing incident in the case Hebden v Bath College.

Les références

‘All clerks within chambers provide a fantastic service. Tom Cole has excellent customer care skills, often going above and beyond his role.’

‘Tom Cole is hugely competent and runs a large team with efficiency.’

‘Tom Cole is always responsive, engaged and understanding of the differing needs of the clients.’