Douglas Leach
‘Douglas has incredible attention to detail. He is an extremely safe pair of hands and a great advocate. He is very good at client management and is comfortable dealing with complex matters and issues.’
Guildhall Chambers is widely praised as ‘an excellent set’ for employment work on the Western Circuit and has a broad range of experience at the junior level. Allan Roberts, who recently took over as head of the employment team, regularly represents high-profile clients in complex and sensitive whistleblowing and discrimination cases. Julian Allsop has considerable experience handling cases involving director’s duties, restrictive covenants, and confidentiality issues in the High Court as well as discrimination and whistleblowing cases in the Employment Tribunal. Debbie Grennan recently appeared for the respondent in Higgs v Farmor’s School, a Court of Appeal case concerning discrimination on the grounds of religious and philosophical beliefs, after a school employee made Facebook posts that were deemed by a parent of a child at the school to be homophobic and transphobic. In 2024 Fergus Currie left the self-employed Bar to go to Freeths LLP.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- 'Practice manager Robert McDonald provides an exemplary service.'
- 'Rob MacDonald is standout for relationship building and his service. He is responsive and goes the extra mile.'
- 'A great clerking operation that is flexible on diaries and pricing as well as responsive to enquiries.'
- 'Friendly and helpful clerks who go out of their way to assist.'
- 'Guildhall is a go-to set because of the range of options at the junior end. The clerking is great and they are reasonable on fees.'
- 'Guildhall Chambers is a go-to set for employment tribunal matters. They have a number of exceptional junior counsel and an excellent training offering.'
Lawyers
Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
Nicholas Smith
‘Nick is personable and honest with clients and his advocacy is brilliant.’
Julian Allsop
‘Julian is an excellent barrister both on his feet and in written advice. He is able to turn instructions around even when subject to a tight timetable. Julian is also a highly technical expert with the ability to explain the law clearly to clients in a personable way.’
Debbie Grennan
‘Debbie is an outstanding advocate. She is knowledgeable, excellent with clients and has a calm head in a difficult situation. Debbie is always thoroughly prepared, and her questioning of witnesses is a masterclass in cross-examination. Debbie’s extensive knowledge and experience with extremely technical areas and complex cases, including whistleblowing, discrimination and equal pay, together with her pragmatic approach make her a go-to for these matters.’
Allan Roberts
‘Allan is one of the most technically astute barristers around. His attention to detail is second to none and he is brilliant at explaining technical points to clients in ways they understand and he absolutely always picks up at least one point that no one else has. Overall, Allan is an exceptional barrister, a senior junior performing at KC level.’
Kerry Gardiner
Geraint Probert
‘Geraint is incredibly thorough and one feels in safe hands when he is instructed. He is very personable and well liked by clients, and puts witnesses at ease. On his feet he is sharp and detailed. He is always very polite to the ET and any witnesses/opponents whilst taking no prisoners in his cross-examination and submissions!’
Sarah Hornblower
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Charlotte Mallin-Martin
‘Charlotte is an amazing junior and a real rising star. She has great technical ability, drafting and advocacy skills. Charlotte is also tireless in pursuit of an issue, determined and tenacious. She is a safe pair of hands for all types of cases.'