Guildhall Chambers is ‘an excellent chambers with exceptional employment barristers‘ – ‘the best set for employment law in the South West‘, according to instructing solicitors. Julian Allsop , who heads up the practice, is ‘a calm and confident advocate‘, and has an excellent track record in appearing before the Employment Tribunal in complex cases involving whistleblowing and disability and maternity discrimination claims. Douglas Leach has an ‘impressive analytical ability when assessing cases‘ and Debbie Grennan is ‘an exceptional advocate‘. Allan Roberts is sought after for his expertise in whistleblowing, TUPE and discrimination cases. In recent instructions for the group, Geraint Probert represented the claimant before the Appeal Tribunal in a case involving the issue of whether a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome is considered a disability under the statutory definition.

Old Square Chambers ‘ Michael Ford KC is sought after for his established expertise in handling high-profile cases involving equal pay, pensions and TUPE matters, and is well known for advising on trade union law. Jack Mitchell is regularly instructed in whistleblowing matters, while Oliver Isaacs is adept at representing employees and employers across a wide spectrum of unfair dismissal claims, while Spencer Keen is widely recognised for his strength in advising on disability discrimination cases.

Led by the ‘organised and efficient‘ Craig Ludlow , 3PB‘s employment group has ‘a great strength in depth regarding employment law‘. Ludlow and Sarah Clarke are highly regarded for their expertise in representing respondents and claimants in cases involving discrimination issues, whistleblowing matters and unfair dismissal claims. In a recent case highlight, Stephen Wyeth successfully represented the claimant in Preen v Coolink Ltd and Mr R Mullins, an automatic unfair dismissal claim for a health and safety reason arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. Gareth Graham is regularly instructed by NHS Trusts and health boards in whistleblowing and discrimination cases.

Pump Court Chambers is ‘strong in the employment law field‘, and houses a team which maintains a presence in Winchester and London. Heather Platt garners praise for her ‘commercial pragmatism and technical knowledge‘; she successfully represented the claimant in Richards v Brocade Communications UK, a long-running unfair dismissal case. Daniella Gilbert has established strength in handling cases involving whistleblowing, discrimination, unfair dismissal, restrictive covenants and TUPE matters. Naomi Gyane is ‘an expert in her field‘ and is sought after for her expertise in handling discrimination, harassment and victimisation claims. Tim Dracass ‘has a strong ability to get to the crux of issues in complicated cases‘. In July 2021 Gary Self was appointed a judge of the Employment Tribunals.

Queen Square Chambers‘ employment team is adept at representing claimants and respondents across the full range of employment law matters; recent instructions for the group include discrimination claims, whistleblowing matters, and unfair dismissal cases. Practice head James Bromige is highly regarded as ‘a shining light within the set in employment‘, and the ‘very knowledgeable‘ Mark Williams acts for claimants and respondents across a broad spectrum of discrimination claims. The ‘incisive‘ and ‘practical‘ Mike Blitz is also a key name in the practice.