Amanda Hart > Doughty Street Chambers > London, England > Barrister Profile

Amanda Hart

Work Department

Position

Amanda is a highly experienced lawyer in the practice areas of employment, equality and discrimination, and regulation and professional discipline.

She is ranked as 3rd tier leading junior in Legal500 which refers to her “extremely good judgment”.  Her highest profile case to date is the ground breaking sex and age discrimination case brought by TV Countryfile presenter against the BBC.

Before coming to the Bar, Amanda spent eleven years working for trade unions, representing members in local and national negotiations, and organising national campaigns including industrial action.

Amanda has represented clients from all disadvantaged groups: race, sex, disability, religion, sexual orientation, and age, and throughout her working life has campaigned on equality issues. Employment Law and Industrial Relations Since being called to the Bar Amanda has specialised in employment and discrimination law, which builds on her experience as a union official. She has successfully represented clients in employment tribunals, the Employment Appeals Tribunal and at the Court of Appeal. An example of recent cases include:

The tribunal and EAT case of disability discrimination by a high achieving trainer with Asperger’s Syndrome.  The EAT appeal involved novel points on divisibility of injury and  private health insurance.

The tribunal case, involving a London Underground employee in her claim for race discrimination arising out of the tattoos displayed by another employee.

The tribunal case involving sex discrimination and harassment of a female journalist working for an Arabic on-line news agency.

Various tribunal cases brought by police officers, doctors and warehouse employees for disability discrimination including failure to make reasonable adjustments  and / or challenging the application of absence managing policies.

Various tribunal cases on unfair dismissal and constructive dismissal.

Tribunal test-cases for disability discrimination brought by drivers and track workers with hearing impairments

The Court of Appeal case on the test for remittance in a sex discrimination case brought by a Royal Navy chief petty officer.

The EAT case considering the reasonableness of the delay in submitting a claim following publication of a blacklist of construction industry workers.

The High Court case considering the interpretation of a union’s rules in relation to the election of the general secretary.

The Court of Appeal case on time limits in discrimination cases.

Career

Year of Call: 2001; Middle Temple.

Trade union national official for ten years (NATFHE, AUT); junior Barrister for ten years.

Memberships

Discrimination Law Association

Liberty

Employment Law Bar Association

Professional Negligence Bar Association

Free Representation Unit

ILS

Education

Box Hill School; North East Surrey College of Technology; LSE (BSc, anthropology, 2:1); College of Law (CPE, distinction).

Leisure

Walking, cycling, watersports.