The Legal 500

Old Square Chambers

Chambers of Nigel Cooksley & QC Jane McNeill QC

10-11 BEDFORD ROW, LONDON, WC1R 4BU, ENGLAND
Tel:
Work 020 7269 0300
Fax:
Fax 020 7405 1387
DX:
1046 LONDON CHANCERY LANE
Web:
www.oldsquare.co.uk
Email:
London, Bristol

John Hendy QC

Tel:
Work +44 20 7269 0300
Email:
Old Square Chambers (Chambers of Nigel Cooksley & QC Jane McNeill QC)

Work Department

Industrial relations, employment, professional discipline and public inquiries.

Position

Principal areas are industrial relations (trade disputes, union rulebooks and elections, collective agreements and recognition, trade union rights) and individual contractual employment rights, especially injunctions to restrain discipline and dismissal in breach of procedure. Significant work/case highlights over the past 12 months include: Baker v Quantum [2011] ICR 523 SC; British Airways v UNITE the Union [2010] ICR 1216 CA; Malone v British Airways [2011] ICR 125 CA; RMT v Serco Ltd; ASLEF v London & B'ham Rly [2011] ICR 848 CA; Mattu v University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust [2011] EWHC 2068 QB; Balfour Beatty Engineering Services Ltd v UNITE the Union [2012] EWHC 267 QB; Lakanal House Inquest.

Career

Called 1972, Gray's Inn; QC 1987; director Newham Rights Centre 1973-76; lecturer Middlesex Polytechnic 1976-77; member Bar Council 1993-94; bencher Gray's Inn 1995; visiting professor King's College London 1999; visiting professor, University College London 2011; co-author: 'Munkman on Employers' Liability' (4th edition 2006); editorial board 'Encyclopaedia of Employment Law'.

Member

Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine; Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies; Industrial Law Society; Employment Law Bar Association (former chair); New South Wales Bar Association.

Education

University of London (1969 LLB); Queen's, Belfast (1971 LLM).

Practice Areas

Health and safety; Personal injury - claimant

Back to index

Legal Developments worldwide

Legal Developments and updates from the leading lawyers in each jurisdiction. To contribute, send an email request to
  • Jersey Royal Court considers measure of damages for dilapidations claims

    In the absence of any statutory provision in Jersey addressing how dilapidations claims are to be quantified, the Royal Court's decision in JSSL v Barclays has provided some much needed guidance, particularly in circumstances where there is an acceptance that works to redress dilapidations have not been and will not be carried out.
  • English Supreme Court rules on Mistake and Hastings Bass

    On 9 May 2013 the English Supreme Court handed down a unanimous judgment on the seminal cases of Pitt-v- Holt and Futter -v- Futter , with Lord Walker's valedictory judgment conclusively resolving the English position on the rule in Hastings Bass and rescission on the ground of mistake.
  • Getting the breaks

    Shook, Hardy & Bacon currently authors the Insurance section of The In-House Lawyer magazine. For more information and articles from this author click here .
  • Product liability and dietary supplements

    Shook, Hardy & Bacon currently authors the Insurance section of The In-House Lawyer magazine. For more information and articles from this author click here .
  • The calm before 
the storm: are 
you prepared for 
a dawn raid?

    WilmerHale currently authors the Fraud and Corporate Crime section of The In-House Lawyer magazine. For more information and articles from this author click here .
  • International shipment of waste: transporters beware

    Burges Salmon LLP currently authors the Environment and Energy section of The In-House Lawyer magazine. For more information and articles from this author click here
  • Cyprus Shipping Industry : Business as usual. Why despite recent events Cyprus remains an internatio

    Cyprus is the third most populated island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is strategically located at the crossroads of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Traditionally Cyprus has always been at the heart of the seafaring trade and therefore always functioned as an important centre for trade and commerce. Today as a member of the European Union it remains an optimal business base. It is one of the most attractive locations for foreign investments worldwide. Foreign companies have been given the opportunity to invest and establish business in Cyprus on equal terms with local investors as no distinction is made between foreign and Cypriot companies.
  • FOREIGN EXCHANGE OPERATIONS

    The excellent support system in combination with the ideal jurisdiction provided in Cyprus set the country in the list of the most desirable countries through which you can offer foreign exchange operations. In addition, the accession of Cyprus within the European Union and, most importantly, the extremely beneficial economic advantages available due to the low costs and the outstanding taxation, create a covetable environment for foreign investors.
  • National public order. Adoption of the Draft

    The Presidium of the Supreme Commercial Court of the Russian Federation (hereinafter - SCC RF) adopted by the Informative Letter No. 156 dated the 26th of February, 2013 (hereinafter - the Informative Letter) on Review of the consideration by arbitrazh courts of the cases on the implementation of the public order clause as the ground for rejection of the recognition and enforcement of the foreign court decisions and arbitral awards.
  • China Customs New Interpretation

    For many products, tariff classification can be technically complex, confusing, and subject to multiple interpretations. Often several different Harmonized System Codes ("HS Code") may seem applicable for one given product with different tariff rates. Tariff classification is indeed a process of application of customs classification rules, including customs rulings and decisions, and misclassification may trigger severe legal consequences. The sad fact is, unfortunately, that many companies rely on non-legal professionals to determine the HS Codes for imports or exports. A recent interpretation issued by the General Administration of Customs of China ("GACC") (Circular No. [2012] 495 Shu-Fa-Fa) (the "Interpretation") reinforces the process of tariff classification as a legal matter, and formulates the test as to what counts for regulatory violation if tariff classification rules are improperly applied by the importer or exporter in a given case. If the legal defense is successful, misclassification may only be treated as a non-violation misclassification, with the possible obligation to pay up additional customs duties, if any, but without administrative or criminal consequences. The Interpretation took effect as from February 1, 2013.