The Legal 500

Work Department

Employment; personal injury and clinical negligence.

Position

Employment: Chris’ employment practice ranges from routine unfair dismissal claims to discrimination claims on all of the prohibited grounds. He is also regularly instructed to deal with sometimes complex TUPE cases, particularly involving insolvent employers. Chris has appeared on behalf of a number of well-known companies before employment tribunals across the UK, including Asda, Debenhams and Evans Halshaw to give but a few examples. This is supplemented by a strong following of smaller businesses and organisations. Chris has also managed to gain invaluable experience at representing employees who have brought claims against high-profile employers including Royal Mail, B&Q, Vodafone, HSBC (to give but a handful of examples). This balance between claimant/respondent workload has provided Chris with an invaluable insight as to how to most effectively present the cases that he is instructed to handle. Personal injury and clinical negligence group: Chris has a wide range of experience in personal injury work having acted on behalf of both claimant and respondent across the spectrum of judicial arenas. He is happy to undertake appropriate cases on a CFA basis. He is often asked to conduct employer liability and stress at work claims given the overlap with his employment law practice. Interesting cases include the successful claim of damages for a claimant who had suffered significant leg and ankle injuries following a motorcycling accident. This long-running, multi-track claim was concluded for a substantial six-figure sum. Chris has also been instructed in respect of a negligence claim against a local authority arising from an alleged failure to provide night care to a severely epileptic child who died in his sleep as a result of this condition.

Career

Called 1999; joined Civitas 2010. Pendragon Chambers, Swansea 2001-10.Notable cases: Macana v Marilyn Leisures Ltd, Birmingham ET, 2010. Unfair dismissal and ancillary claims following the dismissal of a director for alleged misappropriation of approximately £250k in company funds. Phillips v Bradshaw, Birmingham County Court, 2009. High value, multi-track claim following a serious motorcycling accident that nearly resulted in the Claimant’s leg being amputated below the knee. R v Gareth Jones, Cardiff Crown Court, 2007. Lengthy trial involving charges brought against the defendant under the Sexual Offences Act for gross breach of trust against an elderly patient in his care.

Member

Employment Lawyers’ Association, Wales and Chester Circuit, PIBA.

Education

Atlantic College, St Donat’s (International Baccalaureate); University College London (1998 LLB 2:1); Inns of Court School of Law (1999 Bar Vocational Course (Very Competent)); Cambridge University (2000 M.Phil/MA).

Practice Areas

Employment; Personal injury - claimant; Personal injury - defendant