Claire Darwin

“Claire Darwin "stands out for her "tenacious cross-examination." "Confident and assertive," she is a real star in the making" - Chambers and Partners 2012.

"Claire's dedication and “punchy performances” have further caught the attention of commentators” – Chambers and Partners 2011.

Claire specialises in Employment, Discrimination, Public and Commercial Law.

Her practice encompasses the following areas of law:

• Bonus Entitlements,

• Collective Employment Matters and Industrial Action,

• Information law (including employment-related issues arising under the Data Protection Act 1998),

• Discrimination in the Provision of Goods and Services,
• Education law,
• EU Law,
• Human rights,
• Local Government,
• Partnership,
• Restrictive Covenants, Breach of Confidence and Injunctions,
• Sports Law.

Claire appears very regularly in the Employment Tribunal, HESC (the Health, Education and Social Care Chamber), County Court and High Court. She has a burgeoning appellate practice, and is currently instructed in two matters before the Court of Appeal and one before the European Court of Human Rights. Her recent cases of note include: 

• Enterprise Management Services Ltd v Connect-Up Ltd [2012] All ER (D) 15 (Jan) (on the interpretation of the Service Provision Change provisions in the 2006 TUPE Regulations).
  

• Phillips v Xtera Communications Limited [2011] IRLR 724 (on the meaning of the word election in s188 and s188A of the Trade Union & Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992).

• Tiffin v Lester Aldridge LLP [2011] IRLR 105 (on whether Fixed Share Partners  are employees)
• J v DLA Piper UK LLP [2010] ICR 1052 (leading case on the meaning of disability, with James Laddie).

Claire also has a broad advisory practice. For further examples of cases in which Claire has recently been instructed please click here.   

Claire is recommended for Employment (Band 5) in Chambers and Partners UK 2012, one of the leading professional directories.  She is co-author of the chapter on Discrimination in Employment in Bullen & Leake & Jacob's Precedents of Pleadings, 17th edition (forthcoming), and the editor of the Practical Law Company's guide to discrimination in the provision of goods and services.

Claire's full CV is available here.

Claire studied History at Cambridge University, and has a very good working knowledge of both German and Spanish.