Corinna Ferguson > Chambers of Oliver Segal KC > London, England > Barrister Profile

Corinna Ferguson

020 7269 0300 ferguson@oldsquare.co.uk

Position

Barrister specialising in employment, discrimination, human rights and public law. Regularly appears in the Employment Tribunal, county court and High Court for both claimants and respondents/ defendants, including complex and high value discrimination cases. Recently appeared in the Court of Appeal in Adeshina v St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and another [2017] EWCA Civ 257 (reasonableness of dismissal; burden of proof in direct discrimination). Instructed by the British Medical Association in the judicial review concerning the junior doctors’ contract, based on the Public Sector Equality Duty (2016). Instructed in the second round of litigation following the Construction Industry Vetting Information Group Litigation, acting for a large number of claimants. While at Liberty, acted in a number of ground-breaking cases including Walker v Innospec Ltd & S/S for DWP (at Employment Tribunal stage; case subsequently taken to Supreme Court [2017] UKSC 47) – civil partners’ pension rights, RMT v UK, ECtHR, 2013 – ban on secondary industrial action (intervening on behalf of Liberty), Roberts v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis & S/S for Home Department [2012] EWHC 1977 (Admin) – stop and search under s.60 Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 (intervening on behalf of Liberty), Asuquo v UK, ECtHR, 2012 – duty to criminalise and prosecute forced domestic labour, Alder v UK, ECtHR, November 2011 – death in police custody, Eweida v British Airways, CA [2010] EWCA Civ 80 – religious dress in the workplace, Gillan v UK, ECtHR, 12 January 2010 – stop and search under s.44 Terrorism Act 2000, T v Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police & S/S for Home Department [2013] EWCA Civ 25 – blanket disclosure of convictions and cautions on enhanced CRB certificates (intervening on behalf of Liberty), Binyam Mohamed v S/S for FCO [2010] EWCA Civ 65 – PII/open justice (intervening on behalf of Liberty). Appointed as Fee-paid Employment Judge (London East) in 2013, Fee-paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber) (Taylor House) in 2014 and a Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal in 2014.

Career

Called 2003, Lincoln’s Inn; 2005-2007 pupil and tenant at Old Square Chambers; contributor to the 14th edition of Munkman on Employers’ Liability (published July 2006); 2007-2008 Judicial Assistant to the Law Lords (Baroness Hale, Lord Scott, Lord Neuberger); 2008-2014 Employed Barrister at Liberty (National Council for Civil Liberties); Times Lawyer of the Week in February 2010; 2013-present Fee-paid Employment Judge; 2014-present Fee-paid Judge of the First Tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber); 2014-present Chair of the Police Appeals Tribunal. 2015 returned to Old Square Chambers.

Languages

French (conversational)

Memberships

Employment Law Bar Association; Constitutional and Administrative Law Bar Association; Employment Lawyers Association; Industrial Law Society; Council of Employment Judges: Council of Immigration Judges.

Education

St John’s College, Cambridge (2000 BA English); City University (2001 CPE); Inns of Court Law School (2002 BVC); University of Bristol (2004 LLM).

Leisure

Music (violin).