Richard O’Dair > The 36 Group > London, England > Barrister Profile

Richard O’Dair

020 7421 8000 civilclerks@36bedfordrow.co.uk

Work Department

Employment.

Position

Richard is a barrister specialising in employment law, which takes up 80% of his practice, with a particular emphasis on discrimination law, restrictive covenants and TUPE issues. Richard was counsel for Mrs Dacas in the ground breaking decision of the Court of Appeal in Brook Street UK Ltd v Dacas [2004] IRLR 317 and also appeared in James v Greenwich Council [2008] IRLR 302. He was also counsel on the employment status of agency workers, instructed by the CEHR to act for the appellant in Seldon v CJW [2010] IRLR 865 (CA) and has now been granted leave to appeal to the Supreme Court. Richard appeared for the appellant in the Court of Appeal in the important case of Orr v Milton Keynes DC [2011] IRLR 317. He has broad experience of representation in front of professional regulatory bodies such as the GSCC and the GTC, and has represented several of the employees dismissed in the aftermath of the baby P-affair. Richard was appointed to the Attorney Generals Regional Panel in December 2007. He was appointed to the Commission for Equality and Human Rights specialist panel of approved counsel in January 2011. Richard undertakes employment related personal injury work (such as ‘stress claims’ and ‘Eastwood v Magnox’ claims). Building on his background as a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Law at University College London, Richard uses his extensive knowledge of contractual remedies and the law of restitution to undertake general contract and commercial work. In December 2007, he appeared in the Court of Appeal in the case of Rhind v Giles [2009] Ch 291 which decided that S32 of the Limitation Act can postpone the running of time for claims under S423 of the Insolvency Act 1986. He appears regularly in the civil courts at all levels, the Employment Tribunal and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. He lectures widely on a variety of topics and presented for central law training a much appreciated seminar entitled ‘Getting Results in Difficult Cases’.

Career

Called 1987 Gray’s Inn. Sometime senior lecturer in the Faculty of Laws at University College London; he has represented many local authorities and is currently a member of the TSOL panel for the Midlands Circuit. Regular conference speaker, eg for Local Government Training Partnership and has written a number of articles in professional publications. He is the author of ‘Legal Ethics: Cases and Materials’ (London, Butterworths 2001).

Memberships

The Employment Lawyers Association; the Employment Law Bar Association; the Personal Injury Bar Association..

Education

Repton School entrance scholarship; foundation scholarship; St John’s College Oxford (1985 BA Hons Juris (first-class); 1986 MA; 1986 BCL); Birkenhead Scholar of Gray’s Inn (1986); Lord Justice Holkser entrance award (1987).