Laura is an employment law specialist, regularly appearing in the employment tribunals and the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Laura acts for both applicants and respondents in cases involving unfair and wrongful dismissal, unlawful deductions from wages, redundancy and all forms of discrimination.
Laura has extensive experience of multiple equal pay litigation – regularly appearing opposite Queen’s Counsel – and has acted for over 1000 claimants in one case. Laura has also appeared in the Supreme Court on a complex TUPE transfer matter. Laura has experience of restraint of trade clauses in both the High Court and County Court.
Laura was ranked in Chambers & Partners 2011 as ‘up and coming’, noted to have a "calm and measured approach which immediately puts clients at ease". She is developing a reputation particularly for her work on equal pay, and is said to be "really coming up the ranks".
Laura is often invited by organisations to lecture on employment law topics and has written a number of published articles. Academically she has a first class law degree from University College London and obtained prizes for academic achievement including the Herbert Smith Prize for Exceptional Merit (for achieving the highest mark in the UCL Public Law Exam).
Experience
Appellate Level Work
Laura’s Appellate level experience includes:-
• Led by Thomas Linden QC in the case of Parkwood Leisure Ltd v Alemo-Herron & Ors in the EAT ([2009] ICR 703), Court of Appeal ([2010] ICR 793), and in the Supreme Court ([2011] IRLR 696). The Case has now been referred to the ECJ. The issue in this case is whether a collective agreement reached after a TUPE transfer can bind the transferee.
• Allen v Hounga & Anor [2011] All ER (D) 250 (Apr). Unfair dismissal, race discrimination and illegal employment contract. The Appellant now has permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal and Laura is instructed to represent the Respondent at that appeal.
• Burke v College of Law & Anor [2011] All ER (D) (Mar). The first case to come before the EAT about the meaning of a competence standard under s.14B DDA. The Claimant now has permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal and Laura is instructed, with Helen Mountfield QC, to represent the Respondent at that appeal.
• Vaidya v GMC UKEAT/0202/11/RN. Laura represented the Appellant at his permission hearing, permission was granted on a point concerning the correct construction of s.12 (1A) of the Race Relations Act and Laura represented him at the full hearing.
• Gallop v Newport City Council UKEAT/0586/10/DM. Laura represented the Appellant at his permission hearing, permission was granted on a point concerning the concept of knowledge under the DDA. The appeal also raises interesting points regarding the calculation of compensation. Laura is instructed to represent the Appellant at his full appeal hearing.
• Laura is a member of the ELAAS Scheme.
Employment Tribunal Work
Laura’s Employment Tribunal experience includes: -
• Extensive experience of multiple local government and NHS equal pay claims – regularly appearing opposite Queen’s Counsel – and has acted for over 1000 claimants in one case.
• Schafer v Royal Holloway and Bedford New College [2011] EqLR 429 (2011) Laura represented the Claimant in a 3 week equal pay claim in the Reading Employment Tribunal. The Claimant was a University Professor claiming ‘like work’ with male professors employed at the University. This was a test case in respect of the issue of ‘like work’ and also some elements of the genuine material factor defence.
• Sheterline v Autonomy, Equal Opportunities Review, July 2010, p.31
• Represented 10 Claimants in a 3 day TUPE transfer claim at the Reading Employment Tribunal.
• Represented the Claimant in a 5 day Whistleblowing/Unfair dismissal claim at the Manchester employment tribunal (there was coverage of this case in the Evening Standard, the Guardian and local press).
• Represented the Respondent in a 2 day Age Discrimination claim at the London Central Employment Tribunal.
• Represented the Respondent in a 3 day Unfair Dismissal claim where the Claimant claimed he had refused to follow a lawful management instruction for health and safety reasons.
• Represented the Respondent in a claim of unlawful discipline against a Trade Union member.
• Represented the Respondent in a claim for wasted costs application where the Respondent had issues proceedings on union instructions but not had sufficient time to get instructions from the claimants direct.
• Represented 7 claimants in a race discrimination and unlawful deduction of wages claim at Southampton Employment Tribunal.
High Court and County Court Work
• Laura has represented claimants at both the County Court and High Court in respect of Restraint of Trade clauses.
• BBC v (1) Harper Collins Publishers (2) Ben Collins (3) Collins Autosports [2010] EWHC 2424 Laura was led by Hugh Tomlinson QC in this high profile case where they represented the defendants at the High Court. The BBC were seeking to prevent the defendant from revealing that he had played the role of the Stig in Top Gear through his autobiography.