Old Square Chambers > Bristol, England > Set Profile

Chambers of Oliver Segal KC
Old Square Chambers
9 QUEEN SQUARE
BRISTOL
BS1 4JE
England

Email firm Visit website 0117 930 5100 0117 927 3478

London Bar > Employment Tier 1

Old Square Chambers‘ members regularly appear in the appellate courts, test cases, and factually and legally complex trials; and the set is increasingly acting for more than one party in challenging cases, while also experiencing larger volumes of sensitive investigations. In the Court of Appeal, four silks and two juniors from chambers appeared for various parties and intervenors in a test case on whether foster carers have worker status (NUPFC v Certification Officer and others), namely: Lord Hendy KC, Ben Collins KC, Ben Cooper KC and Katharine Newton KC, along with senior junior Robert Moretto and Madeline Stanley. Betsan Criddle KC took silk in March 2022. Cooper KC also successfully represented both the claimant in Forstater v CGD Europe & others, a high-profile case concerning protection against discrimination in employment for holding gender-critical beliefs; and barrister Allison Bailey in her claim against her chambers for discrimination on similar grounds; however in that case the claim against co-respondent Stonewall, represented by Ijeoma Omambala KC and Robin White, was unsuccessful.

Rising stars

Tara O’Halloran – Old Square Chambers

Ranked: Tier 1

Benjamin Jones – Old Square Chambers ‘Ben is a junior of choice. He is immeasurably intelligent, and with forensic research skills and a creative intelligence; and he combines these attributes with a thoroughly pragmatic approach to litigation. He is is not afraid to roll up his sleeves and get involved in the detail, working closely with clients to understand their litigation goals. Ben is also empathetic, and measured with professional and lay clients alike at a level that belies his years of call. A real star in the making.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Conor Kennedy - Old Square Chambers 'Conor is intelligent, calm and commercial in his approach. He is also always helpful and pragmatic in his advice, and his advocacy is excellent; and he is able to deal effectively with unforeseen and difficult challenges.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Rachel Owusu-Agyei - Old Square Chambers 'Rachel's advocacy is excellent, and her cross-examination is fluent, flexible and with a coherent structure. She has mastery of the papers and manages to extract a lot of useful evidence from clients. Her closing submissions (both written and oral) are forceful and convincing, and she has an excellent grasp of the law and a keen turn of phrase. A formidable opponent for one so junior - her ability sits far above her years of call.'

Ranked: Tier 1

Leading Silks

Michael Ford KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Michael is hugely intelligent, extremely enjoyable to work with, and has a fantastic ability to distil complex issues into succinct and persuasive legal submissions. He is pretty much peerless when it comes to industrial relations or holiday-pay related issues.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Lord Hendy KC – Old Square Chambers ‘John is one of the country’s leading employment silks. Very strong on all collective labour issues, particularly the relationship between UK law and human rights jurisprudence. A gifted advocate who speaks with authority in court.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Oliver Segal KC – Old Square Chambers ‘A first-rate advocate - a steady pair of hands who deals with the issues methodically and in a well-structured way.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Ben Cooper KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Ben is a phenomenal intellect and great advocate. He has a great way with clients.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Mark Sutton KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Mark demonstrates incisive and analytical advocacy skills; and he shows breadth of knowledge of complicated issues, especially in respect of the NHS.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Ben Collins KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Ben’s advocacy is as good as it gets. Even on complex and contentious points, he has judges eating out of the palm of his hand – he is a pleasure to watch on his feet. In con and with clients, he is similarly good to work with – everything you could want from a silk.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Simon Cheetham KC – Old Square Chambers ‘A first-class advocate. Hugely bright with an astounding grip of detail, combined with brilliant client-handling skills and a warm, personable approach. Excellent in particular on complex, sensitive whistleblowing cases, and those with difficult or anxious witnesses and clients. Reads judges and panels really well, and has a high degree of emotional intelligence, so is able to respond accordingly.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Katharine Newton KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Technically strong with an impressive ability to get to the essential issues quickly. Her written work is excellent, and Katharine has a clear and punchy style of advocacy that clients love and engages the court. Very easy to work with.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Ijeoma Omambala KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Ijeoma's strengths are that she is very hands-on and accessible, straightforward in her advice, and puts the client at ease. She also makes it easy for the instructing solicitor.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Deshpal Panesar KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Deshpal's cross-examination is absolutely exceptional and his preparation is extremely thorough.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Rebecca Tuck KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Rebecca is an outstanding advocate, and lay clients always feel that she is strongly on their side and will back them to the hilt.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

2022 Silks

Betsan Criddle KC – Old Square Chambers ‘Fantastic brain, great advocate, works really well with the client (solicitor and lay client), and particularly brilliant knowledge of case law for doctors' disciplinary cases. Her ability to ensure that a complex case is well presented and set out for tribunals and panels is a particularly great asset.‘

Leading Juniors

Stuart Brittenden – Old Square Chambers ‘Stuart is the best junior at the employment Bar. He is fiercely intelligent, hugely responsive, and always willing to go the extra mile for clients. It is also hard to think of many recent leading cases in the industrial relations arena that he has not been involved in.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Nadia Motraghi – Old Square Chambers ‘A very capable senior junior who proves to be more than a match for her KC opponents.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Melanie Tether – Old Square Chambers ‘Her ability to review voluminous documents quickly and get to the detail is extremely impressive, while her cross-examination is gentle yet deadly. Melanie is truly an excellent barrister and her skills are a great addition to any team.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Eleena Misra – Old Square Chambers ‘Eleena is very client friendly and she is an excellent advocate. She has a cool, measured advocacy style, which is very effective.‘

Ranked: Tier 1

Tom Kirk – Old Square Chambers ‘An astute assessor of the strengths and weaknesses in his clients' cases. Also a pleasant opponent, who is a methodical and skilled cross-examiner.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Louise Chudleigh – Old Square Chambers ‘Louise has phenomenal attention to detail, a great grasp of litigation, and a second-to-none work ethic.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Jack Mitchell – Old Square Chambers ‘Jack has incredible attention to detail. He can recall complex facts easily and has the entire tribunal room’s attention. Clients have 100% confidence in his ability to steer the case to a favourable conclusion expertly.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Nicola Newbegin – Old Square Chambers ‘Incredibly hardworking and very knowledgeable on all types of employment law matters, particularly working time and maternity rights. An assertive advocate, who is very thorough in cross-examination and excellent with clients in conference.‘

Ranked: Tier 2

Robin White - Old Square Chambers

Ranked: Tier 3

Spencer Keen – Old Square Chambers ‘Spencer’s advice is clear and concise. He is also very personable with clients and witnesses.‘

Ranked: Tier 3

Robert Moretto – Old Square Chambers ‘Robert's attention to detail and his preparation for a case are exemplary. He has a lovely manner with clients and is very approachable, while his cross-examination is some of the best around - clients always feel very reassured that he knows the case thoroughly.‘

Ranked: Tier 3

Sarah Keogh – Old Square Chambers ‘ Extremely responsive, completely reliable, very thorough and knowledgeable. Gives clear and decisive advice – an invaluable adviser. ‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Laith Dilaimi – Old Square Chambers ‘Laith is an academic and extremely thorough barrister. He is very collaborative and respectful when working with other lawyers, and willing to go the extra mile for his clients - devotes time to his work, sometimes way beyond his brief fee.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Lance Harris – Old Square Chambers ‘Lance has a very calm, collected manner and makes excellent submissions - also great with strategy and easily gets the confidence of clients.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Rosalie Snocken – Old Square Chambers ‘Rosalie is a great junior with an eye for detail, and who is adept at mastering complex facts and legal issues quickly and effectively.‘

Ranked: Tier 4

Christopher Edwards – Old Square Chambers

Ranked: Tier 5

Giles Powell - Old Square Chambers 'A skilled advocate, who is very experienced in employment litigation in the medical professional field - very effective in court.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Elizabeth Melville - Old Square Chambers 'Elizabeth is thorough, practical, and has a good manner with witnesses.'

Ranked: Tier 5

Adam Ross – Old Square Chambers ‘Adam is exceptionally intelligent and strong on detail. Clients can always feel confident that he will have prepared thoroughly and will know the case inside out. He applies his mind to the case, well in advance of the hearing, so that he can advise on any areas that need to be explored further to strengthen the client’s case. His ability to get a feel for an employment judge is also exceptional, and it allows him to assess the tone and approach to take during hearings.‘

Ranked: Tier 5

Madeline Stanley – Old Square Chambers ‘Not only is she extremely clever, but she has the emotional intelligence to work well with and gain the respect of the client, the other side and the judge. She also has the ability to grasp changing complex and untested areas of employment law; and is extremely good with clients, explaining matters in a way that can be easily understood, while also being very commercial in terms of advice and potential outcomes.‘

Ranked: Tier 5

Testimonials

Set

‘Old Square Chambers is incredibly well respected generally, and in relation to Employment Tribunal matters.‘

‘Its depth of experience is excellent, and it is expert in representing clients in complex and nuanced litigation.‘

‘A strong cohort of junior counsel, meaning that the clerks are always able to recommend a trusted pair of hands for any instruction.‘

‘Old Square is a go-to set for employment barristers and its barristers are experts in their fields.‘

‘Old Square Chambers is a set of choice for employment law matters. It has strength in depth that means almost all cases and matters can be covered by a member of chambers.‘

Clerking

‘The clerks at Old Square are incredibly responsive and helpful. It is highly unusual not to receive a response to an email the same day!‘

Western Circuit > Employment Tier 1

Old Square Chambers ‘ Michael Ford KC is sought after for his established expertise in handling high-profile cases involving equal pay, pensions and TUPE matters, and is well known for advising on trade union law. Discrimination claims have been prominent in Toby Kempster ‘s recent caseload, and Jack Mitchell is regularly instructed in whistleblowing matters. Oliver Isaacs is adept at representing employees and employers across a wide spectrum of unfair dismissal claims, while Spencer Keen is widely recognised for his strength in advising on disability discrimination cases.