3PB

Employment and Discrimination.

Matthew Curtis is a specialist employment barrister. He has been recognised as a Leading Junior in the Legal 500 since 2016, and in Chambers & Partners since 2021. He has been described as “phenomenal counsel” whose “advocacy is superb”. Clients see him as “one of our leading juniors when it comes to employment matters”.

Matthew regularly appears in the Employment Tribunal and EAT on behalf of both employers and employees in a range of employment issues and has dealt with a number of complex multi-day cases, including:

• Acting for former Head of specialist arts school in a case listed for a 20-day final hearing, involving seventeen respondents. The case attracted press interest and involved external reviews by law firms and barristers.
• Acting for multi-national company headquartered abroad in a claim of nationality discrimination brought by an ex-patriate employee
• Acting for a police force, defending disability-discrimination claims in a case involving arguments about whether the Claimant has capacity.
• A TUPE case which was listed for a 10-day remedy hearing and involved 14 claimants and 8 respondents. Matthew represented a local authority.

Matthew is instructed by numerous large national retailers, transport companies, airline industry providers and a multitude of SME’s as well as several local authorities across the Western Circuit.

He is able to accept instructions in County Court and High Court proceedings, having a background in civil litigation alongside his extensive tribunal experience.

Employment and Discrimination

Matthew has an extensive Employment Law practice regularly advising and representing both Claimants and Respondents. He has been recognised as an employment barrister, noted as a Leading Junior in the Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners for a number of years, described as "a rising star who punches well above his weight", an accolade which is demonstrated with his work on numerous complex multi-day cases across London and the Western Circuit.

Matthew has appeared in Employment Tribunals on behalf of both employer and employee in unfair dismissal, TUPE, redundancy, disability discrimination, age discrimination, race discrimination and whistle-blowing cases.

Matthew is particularly adept at getting to grips with the details in technically complex cases, demonstrated by a number of cases he has undertaken for airports and flight schools requiring detailed understanding of Aviation law, and also for regulated professions such as care homes and schools requiring an understanding of the CQC/Ofsted requirements. His recommendation in the Legal 500 notes that “his technical knowledge is brilliant” (2025).

Matthew is frequently asked to advise on all aspects of an employment law dispute, from drafting merits and pleadings to appropriate quantum and terms of settlement. He is instructed by large national corporations and solicitors from across the country as well as individual claimants who require a dedicated, competent and technically able Barrister.

Recent Cases include

Morton v Eastleigh CAB [2020] EWCA Civ 638 (Court of Appeal)

Acted in appeal consider the standards for adjournments in ET proceedings, balancing the efficient conduct of proceedings with the right to a fair trial in the context of a disabled Claimant.

Wray v Jewish Care UKEAT/0193/18 (EAT)
Acted for Respondent resisting the Claimant’s appeal. C had failed to present his claim in time due to the fees regime; he argued that the fees meant it was “not reasonably practicable” to present his claim and sought an extension of time. The ET rejected C’s arguments and struck out the claims due to lack of jurisdiction. The EAT upheld the ET decision. Matthew appeared for the Respondent at the ET and EAT.

Harling v Eastbourne Borough Council UKEAT/0185/17 (EAT)
Represented the Respondent/Appellant at the EAT following a 5-day ET claim involving allegations of disability discrimination and unfair dismissal.

S v A Law Firm (2022)

After the collapse of a large criminal law firm, a number of the former employees (including solicitors and legal executives) began work for another law firm. They claimed that their employment had transferred across pursuant to TUPE. Matthew represented the purported transferee law firm.

 Z v A multi-national company (2025, ongoing)

Acting for a multi-national company headquartered abroad, defending a claim by a former employee of the Head Office who carried out work in the UK. Claim involves allegations of race discrimination and arguments around jurisdiction.

Year of Call: 2006

Employment Law Bar Association Employment Lawyers Association

Middle Temple King's College, London - LLB (Hons) Inns of Court School Law - BVC CIPD conduct hearing panel member (2017-2022) Fee -paid Employment Judge: 2021 onwards Deputy District Judge: 2024 onwards