Lydia Seymour > Chambers of James Counsell KC and Keith Bryant KC > London, England > Barrister Profile
Outer Temple Chambers Offices
Outer Temple Chambers
THE OUTER TEMPLE, 222 STRAND
LONDON
WC2R 1BA
England
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Lydia Seymour
Work Department
Pensions, Employment and Discrimination Law ((including professional negligence in both areas)
Position
Barrister specialising in Pensions and Employment & Discrimination Law, including Professional Negligence claims in both areas.
Career
Lydia Seymour was called to the bar in 1997 and was appointed as a fee paid judge of the Employment Tribunal in 2005.
Lydia Seymour has a specialist pensions and employment law practice, including professional negligence claims in both areas. She has been recognised by the legal directories as a leading junior since 2005 and is listed for employment, pensions and professional negligence.
Her practice includes all aspects of ‘black letter’ pensions law, including: de-risking, rectification, issues arising in multi-employer schemes and trustee duties. Her clients include the Pensions Regulator, employers, trustees, trade unions and individuals.
She also acts in claims of professional negligence arising from actuarial and legal advice to pension schemes, including cases in which allegations of breach of duty have also been made in respect of professional or lay trustees.
Given the dual nature of her practice, Lydia has developed a particularly strong reputation in the areas of crossover between pensions and employment law, and she is instructed in many of the leading cases in this area, particularly those which raise issues of age or sex discrimination in relation to pension provision, TUPE and breach of trust and confidence.
She also has substantial experience of statutory schemes and advises regularly on issues relating to the Local Government Pension Scheme, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, University Superannuation Scheme and the NHS Pension Scheme.
Lydia has wide experience of employment and discrimination cases at all levels, appearing regularly in complex and high-profile discrimination and whistleblowing matters. She is also regularly instructed in claims arising out of the termination of employment, particularly those raising bonus or restrictive covenant issues.
Lydia sat as a fee paid Employment Judge in various London regions for 12 years.
Lydia has a first-class degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University and a distinction in the CPE Diploma in Law.
Clients and the legal directories have recognised her excellence in analysis and advocacy, ability to explain complex issues in plain English and strong commitment to her cases.
Languages
Conversational French
Memberships
Education
Kingston College of Further Education; Oxford University (1995 BA First Class).
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Employment
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 2Lydia Seymour – Outer Temple Chambers ‘Lydia is an impressive technical barrister. She understands the client’s strategic aims and her advice is clear and practical.’
Outer Temple Chambers ‘has an excellent offering in employment matters‘. Equal pay litigation remains a core pillar of strength for the team, and members continue to handle high-profile discrimination and whistleblowing claims. Pensions work is another key area of expertise for multiple practitioners in the group. Recent highlights include Andrew Short KC and Saul Margo successfully acting in the Court of Appeal for the claimants in Sainsbury’s Supermarkets Ltd v Clark and Others, a long-running equal pay claim which in 2023 reached the Court of Appeal on a point concerning ACAS conciliation in bulk claims. Naomi Cunningham is ‘a master in discrimination cases‘, and Lydia Seymour is sought after for her excellent track record in advising on employment issues that cross over with pensions matters.
London Bar > Pensions
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 1Lydia Seymour –Outer Temple Chambers ‘Charming, organised and reassuring. Gives excellent advice on rectifications.’
London Bar > Professional negligence
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 6Lydia Seymour –Outer Temple Chambers ‘She is excellent at distilling very complicated matters into plain language. She provides not only great technical legal advice but commercial pragmatic options for the client. She is also very good with the clients. No weaknesses.’
Outer Temple Chambers is active in professional negligence work concerning legal professionals and financial professionals in specific financial and regulatory contexts, particularly concerning pensions. James Counsell KC, Nicolas Stallworthy KC and Lydia Seymour are also active in claims against solicitors, administrators, and actuaries who advise on pensions schemes – Counsell KC being notable for his claimant-side work in this space.