Michael Ford KC > Chambers of Oliver Segal KC > Bristol, England > Barrister Profile

Old Square Chambers is one of the leading sets on the Western Circuit for employment law work, with several standout practitioners regularly involved in significant cases. Michael Ford KC is a ‘tour de force’ who recently acted for intervenor UNISON in the Supreme Court case Harpur Trust v Brazel, which considered whether a worker’s right to paid annual leave is accumulated according to the working pattern of the worker, or is pro-rated – the matter affects a large number of seasonal workers. Spencer Keen has recently represented the claimant in Plymouth City Council v ABC, a High Court case concerning the alleged theft of confidential information, evaluating the extent of an employee’s duty of confidentiality and the remedy for breach.

A ‘strong set for employment work with high profile counsel‘, Old Square Chambers‘ members routinely handle significant employment cases, including appearing in the Court of Appeal. In a prominent case highlight, Michael Ford KC successfully represented UNISON as intervenor in the Supreme Court in Harpur Trust v Brazel, a high-profile case concerning if part-year workers (in this context, a term-time only music teacher at a school) accrue their holiday entitlement pro rata throughout the year, or during the parts of the year the employee is working. In a separate matter, Ben Cooper KC is acting for ASDA in ongoing, large-scale litigation concerning multiple equal pay claims. At the junior end of chambers, whistleblowing and equal pay claims have been prominent in Melanie Tether‘s recent workload, and Robert Moretto successfully acted for the Department of Work and Pensions in Mackereth v DWP, a belief discrimination claim brought by a Christian doctor who refused to address transgender patients by their preferred pronouns. In March 2023, the senior end of the team was bolstered by the elevation of Eleena Misra KC and Nadia Motraghi KC to silk. Sarah Keogh is now a full-time Employment Judge.