Catherine Urquhart > 42 Bedford Row > London, England > Barrister Profile
42BR Barristers Offices
42BR Barristers
11 Staple Inn
LONDON
WC1V 7QH
England
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Catherine Urquhart
Career
Catherine has wide experience of hearings in Employment Tribunals and County Courts across England and Wales. She has also represented clients in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the High Court and before panels such as the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority and the National Midwifery Council.
She is regularly instructed in cases involving unfair and wrongful dismissal, all types of discrimination, whistleblowing, hearings on employment status, applications for interim relief, costs arguments, and applications to strike out claims. She has a growing appellate practice in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, and outside court she is regularly instructed to draft pleadings and provide advice on a wide range of employment matters.
She represents both claimants and respondents. Recent clients include well-known supermarkets, charities, universities, airlines and hotel groups as well as individuals.
Catherine is qualified to accept instructions from members of the public on a Direct Access basis. She regularly takes on pro bono work through the charity Advocate and the Employment Tribunal Litigants in Person Support Scheme (ELIPS).
In her former life, Catherine spent nearly 20 years as a journalist, the last ten as travel editor of The Times. She finds the skills she learned on newspapers – such as interviewing and listening to people, arguing with the editor, and getting to grips with large amounts of information in a short time – translate well to her work as a barrister. Clients tell her that they value her wide experience of life and the workplace. She has a calm manner with nervous witnesses and understands that litigating to the bitter end is not always the answer – but if the fight is unavoidable, she is a strong advocate on her clients’ behalf.
Memberships
- Employment Law Bar Association
- Employment Lawyers’ Association
- Industrial Law Society
- Fellow, Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, manufactures and commerce (FRSA)
Lawyer Rankings
London Bar > Employment
(Leading Juniors)Ranked: Tier 3Catherine Urquhart – 42BR Barristers ‘Catherine prepares extremely well, is incredibly hard working and certainly goes the extra mile for her clients. A very safe pair of hands.’
42BR Barristers is ‘an excellent set with a strong employment team‘. The team reports an increase in instructions concerning disability discrimination claims, and has also been kept busy handling whistleblowing cases, which is a key area of strength for the ‘pragmatic‘ Jude Shepherd. The ‘very personable‘ Michael Salter is instructed by individuals, local authorities, public sector employers and trade unions in a wide range of employment matters, including TUPE issues and unfair dismissal cases. In recent work, the ‘diligent‘ Catherine Urquhart successfully defended Transport for London in a case involving multiple discrimination claims, including on the grounds of disability, race and pregnancy. The senior end of the group was recently bolstered by the elevation of Iris Ferber KC to silk in March 2023.