Employment, Discrimination and Professional Regulation

Overview of the Team

Garden Court Chambers Employment, Discrimination and Professional Regulation Team has a long and well-established history. In the past, members of the team provided free advice on employment and discrimination matters direct to advisers when Chambers held the LSC contract 'Call Counsel'. This demanded expertise across the whole range of employment legislation including the discrimination statutes, employment law and its application to real-life situations.

Members of the team have worked in law centres, solicitors firms, trade unions, CABs and disability rights organisations before joining Chambers.

The team is able to draw upon this collective experience to meet the current challenges facing workers and marginalised groups in today's economically straitened times.

Employment

Members of our team provide a high quality, effective and approachable service, geared particularly to the needs of claimants and their advisers. We are proud of our commitment to workers' rights, and are well aware of the difficulties faced by individuals who seek redress in a jurisdiction that does not provide public funding for claims. Our fee structure is highly competitive and our clerking team helpful and efficient.

Team members have expertise across the entire range of employment cases from straightforward unfair dismissal claims to the more complex equal pay claims, transfer of undertakings, whistleblower and discrimination claims. The team benefits from being part of a multi-disciplinary set and has close working relationships with other teams, such as the Immigration Team. As such we are able to draw upon the considerable knowledge provided by other teams where necessary. The team, with its members drawn from diverse backgrounds, is able to provide realistic advice delivered with empathy.

We are regularly instructed by leading firms, law centres, CABs and Trade Unions.

Professional Regulation

Members appear regularly in proceedings before Regulatory and Disciplinary tribunals such as the General Teaching Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Health Professions Council, disciplinary proceedings for regulated immigration advisers (OISC) and on occasion act on behalf of solicitors.

Discrimination

The team's expertise covers all aspects of discrimination law whether it be discrimination or harassment in the workplace or in access to goods and services on the grounds of sex, equal pay, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, race, disability, religion or belief, or age.

Members of the Team are uniquely well-placed to advise on discrimination in a range of contexts. The multi-disciplinary nature of our work, and the variety of clients we represent, mean that members have the expertise and imagination to deal with all types of equality issues. Our recent groundbreaking work in this field covers areas as diverse as the land rights of Roma people, and discrimination against transsexuals. Our experience of litigating against public authorities means that we are the first choice for cases involving breaches of the equality legislation by state agents.

Numerous members of the team were approved counsel for the Equal Opportunities Commission, Commission for Racial Equality and Disability Rights Commission prior to their merger into the Commission for Equality and Human Rights.

Mediation

Most members of the team are also trained mediators and Chambers is able to provide a comprehensive mediation service through Garden Court Mediation.

The Clerks

If you would like more information about our Employment, Discrimination and Professional Regulation Team, please email the clerks civilclerks@gclaw.co.uk or call us on 020 7993 7600.

The team

Members of the Employment, Discrimination and Professional Regulation team are listed below - click on their names to go to their profiles.

Barrister Year of Call Email Address Marc Willers 1987 Send Email Colin Hutchinson 1990 Send Email Edward Fitzpatrick 1990 Send Email Catrin Lewis 1991 Send Email Stephanie Harrison 1991 Send Email Valerie Easty 1992 Send Email Rajeev Thacker 1993 Send Email Stephen Knafler QC 1993 Send Email Shereener Browne 1996 Send Email Adrian Berry 1998 Send Email Catherine O'Donnell 2000 Send Email Andrew Eaton 2004 Send Email Christopher McWatters 2004 Send Email Stephen Marsh 2005 Send Email Anthony Vaughan 2006 Send Email David Renton 2008 Send Email