Grace Holden > Chambers of David Berkley KC > Oxford, England > Barrister Profile

Grace Holden

Work Department

Employment and Discrimination; Personal Injury.

Position

Grace Holden specialises in employment, discrimination and personal injury disputes. She joined 3PB in June 2020 and is based in the Oxford centre.

Prior to being called to the Bar, Grace worked as a County Court Advocate and conducted over 450 civil hearings. She covered a range of procedural and substantive cases; from contractual disputes to personal injury matters.

Grace was called to the Bar in 2016 in the top 10 of her cohort, having achieved a grade of ‘Outstanding’. She was awarded a major scholarship and Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award from Inner Temple. During her BPTC year, Grace was a member of the Inner Temple team who represented England at the International Telders Moot Court Competition in The Hague.

Grace is now a busy and successful employment and discrimination counsel, and has also built up a strong personal injury practice. She has further developed her experience of public law as counsel on the Government Legal department’s junior junior scheme. Her instructions have included acting as the Junior Legal Adviser to the Independent Inquiry set up to review the circumstances surrounding the malpractice of surgeon Ian Paterson.

Employment and Discrimination 

Grace Holden acts for both claimants and respondents in preliminary and final hearings in the Employment Tribunal, as well as drafting and advising on the full range of employment disputes and issues.

Grace is proactive is tactically managing cases from an early stage and she makes effective use of preliminary hearings. Her recent work in preliminary hearings includes:

• Achieving strike out for unmeritorious discrimination claims.
• Obtaining deposit orders for claims of whistleblowing.
• Advising upon and successfully challenging disability status, thereby significantly reducing the listing of a finding hearing.
• Being involved in case management of a multi-party matter, involving test cases.

Grace has represented both claimants and respondents in multi-day final hearings. Her recent work includes:

• Successfully achieving a finding of unfair dismissal for two claimants in a complex 7-day hearing.
• Successfully representing a respondent in a 2 day constructive unfair dismissal claim.
• Successfully achieving dismissal of multiple allegations of race discrimination within 2 days of a hearing listed for 5 days.
• Successfully defending claims of whistleblowing detriment in a 4 day hearing.
• Successfully defending claims of unfair dismissal in multiple 2 day hearings.
• Successfully defending claims of unfair dismissal and age discrimination in a 2 day hearing.
• Successfully defending claims of race discrimination and disability discrimination in a 2 day hearing.
• Successfully defending claims of race and religious discrimination in a 5 day hearing.
• Representing a respondent in 5 day case, resulting in the successful dismissal of claims of race discrimination, disability discrimination and harassment.
• Acting as junior counsel in the successful defence of an 8 day sex-related harassment and victimisation claim, which included drafting 7 supporting statements.

Grace also has experience of handling employment disputes in the County Court, and is familiar with the civil jurisdiction. Her work includes:

• Advising on restrictive covenants.
• Drafting pleadings and defences.
• Representing parties in both contractual claims and discrimination claims in the County Court.

She recently drafted pleadings for and advised on a complex multi-party breach of contract claim, which resulted in a very favourable early settlement for the claimant.

Personal Injury 

Grace Holden regularly appears in the County Court, representing both claimants and defendants in a range of personal injury matters. She has been noted by Circuit Judges for ‘cross-examining skilfully and submitting persuasively’ and putting ‘careful and considerate questions’.

Her work includes:

• Trials in road traffic accident, occupier’s liability and employer’s liability cases.
  CCMCs for a range of multi-track cases.
• Interim applications; including strike-out, summary judgment and relief from sanctions.
• Drafting pleadings for both claimants and defendants.
• Advising on liability and quantum.
• Appearing on behalf of interested parties in Coroner’s Inquests.
• Undertaking work as part of public inquiries.

She has recently:

• Represented a claimant in an assault at work case, achieving settlement by JSM for a sum worth in excess of £150,000.
• Represented a claimant in a noise-induced hearing loss claim.
• Drafted pleadings for a claimant in a public liability claim involving complex physical and psychological injuries.

Grace also has significant experience of handling fundamental dishonesty cases, representing both claimants and defendants. She has:

• Achieved the withdrawal of claims on multiple occasions after her cross-examination of the claimant.
• Achieved a finding of fundamental dishonesty against three claimants, held to be jointly liable for costs.
• Negotiated the withdrawal of claims at the outset of the hearing on favourable terms.

Grace was previously instructed as the Junior Legal Adviser to the Independent Inquiry set up to review the circumstances surrounding the malpractice of surgeon Ian Paterson.

 

Career

Year of call 2016

Memberships

• BPTC
• Employment Lawyers Association
• Industrial Law Society
• Personal Injuries Bar Association

Education

• Bar Professional Training Course, City Law School, Outstanding, 2015-2016
• LLB Hons, University of Bristol
• Major scholarship and Duke of Edinburgh Entrance Award, Inner Temple, 2015