3PB

Liam O'Shaughnessy is a barrister specialising in employment and discrimination. He transferred to the Bar having worked as a senior HR professional for over 25 years, specialising in industrial relations, employment law and disputes.

Liam is much in demand across all aspects of employment law including discrimination issues and employment status acting for a wide range of clients.

Before coming to the Bar, Liam held director-level HR roles working for major UK organisations such as the AA, Carnival PLC (P&O Cruises and Cunard Line), British Airways, and the Civil Service. . He has also acted as a consultant to organisations including Birmingham City Council, MTR Corporation (Hong Kong Metro), National Express and Stagecoach Group. His extensive in-house experience has seen Liam develop expertise across all areas of employment and wider HR matters such as stakeholder management and regulatory compliance as well as legal services delivery. Liam understands well the legal needs of both private and public sector employers.

Liam has advised on all aspects of employment law including discrimination issues and employment status as well as advising on the people aspects of addressing a potential equal pay liability. He has managed bulk tribunal litigation, union negotiations, negotiated and created exit packages for senior employees, managed high risk tribunal cases with counsel, drafted employment contracts and policies, and provided support and assistance on large-scale redundancy exercises.

Liam also has excellent experience in handling very sensitive investigations and whistleblowing complaints. Notably, he has advised extensively on very high-profile collective employee relations issues and settlement. He has worked as part of a team resolving industrial disputes, including at ACAS, and is a practical and pragmatic negotiator.

He has managed litigation to Court of Appeal level, giving him valuable insight into the operation of the Employment Appeal Tribunal and the Court of Appeal. He spent three years as an employer member of the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), appointed by the Secretary of State. He also spent three years as a lay member of the Fitness to Practice Panel of the General Medical Council (GMC) and has marshalled with the then President of the Employment Appeal Tribunal.

In addition to his employment and discrimination work, Liam has acted as junior counsel in the County Court in a professional negligence claim related to employment law advice.

Outside of work, Liam enjoys rugby union.

• Employment and discrimination

• Liam O'Shaughnessy is an employment and discrimination barrister who moved to the Bar having worked as a senior HR professional for over 25 years, specialising in industrial relations, employment law and disputes. Liam is now much in demand across all aspects of employment law including discrimination issues and employment status cases, acting for a wide range of clients.

  Recent cases include:

  B v G: Successfully defended a claim for unfair and automatic unfair dismissal (health and safety case) following a multi-day trial.

  P v I: Successfully defended a claim for unfair dismissal in a multi-day trial involving multiple witnesses.

  S v M: Successfully defeating claims of unfair dismissal and unauthorised deduction from wages, with the claimant succeeding only on a wrongful dismissal claim.

  A v M: Acting for the respondent employer, secured strike out of a claim for discrimination on grounds of unreasonable conduct.

  L v E: Achieved strike out of a discrimination, harassment, and unfair dismissal claim against a client, in a multi-respondent case involving building management companies and a security contractor.

  J v A: Successfully defended a worker status claim, which included allegations of breach of contract, claims under the Agency Worker Regulations, and claims for unauthorised deduction of wages. The tribunal concluded that the claimant was a self-employed contractor.

  N v M: Achieved strike out of a claim against an individual respondent company director on the basis of no reasonable prospects of success.

  M v K: Acted for the respondent in proceedings involving allegations of race and sex discrimination, wrongful dismissal, and an amendment application during the hearing itself. Successfully defended all discrimination claims and resisted the addition of a further claim against a Director; the claimant succeeded on wrongful dismissal only.

  R v C: Acting for the respondent employer at a remedy hearing, secured a considerable reduction in compensation payable to the claimant.

Certificate of Honour, Honourable Society of the Middle Temple

Dean’s Certificate of Excellence in Labour Law, University of London

Ron Shepherd Trust Award, University of East London

Registered Test User, Occupational Personality and Ability, British Psychological Society (BPS)

Crisis Leadership Qualification, Cabinet Office Emergency Planning College

Employment Lawyers Association

Employment Law Bar Association

Chartered Fellow, Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

Fellow of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)

Postgraduate Diploma Bar Vocational Studies with specialism in Advanced Advocacy Skills, City, University of London - Distinction

LLM Employment Law, Kingston University, London - Distinction

MSc Human Resources, London South Bank University

Postgraduate Diploma, Human Resource Management, University of East London

LLB(Hons) Law, University of London

Certificate in Education (CertEd), University of Greenwich