
Nathan Roberts has appeared as sole or junior counsel in the High Court, Employment Appeal Tribunal, Court of Appeal, Supreme Court, and European Court of Human Rights.
He is on both the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s panel of counsel and the Attorney General’s civil panel. He was appointed to each panel in his first year of eligibility.
Nathan is instructed in employment cases in the Employment Tribunal and the High Court, and on appeal. He is routinely instructed as sole or junior counsel in cases that are particularly complex, high-value, or of public interest.
His recent experience in discrimination law includes: successfully representing a woman dismissed for cohabiting with her partner in a novel case of sex and religious discrimination, and successfully resisting the employer’s appeal of the sex discrimination claim in Gan Menachem Hendon Ltd v De Groen [2019]; representing a senior television producer in an age discrimination claim against a broadcasting organisation; and representing a broadcast journalist in an equal pay and race discrimination claim. Nathan also has extensive experience of discrimination law outside of employment, detailed below.
His recent experience in commercial employment law includes: Square Global Ltd v Leonard [2020], acting for a successful broking house at trial, restraining competitive trade for 12 months; acting for the defendants in C v B [2020] in successfully resisting an interim injunction application for delivery up of documents and enforcement of confidentiality clauses; representing an employer in X v Financial Services Company [2019], a major whistleblowing claim brought by a senior employee valued at £10m; successfully defending a claim of disability discrimination by an investment manager in P v Aviva Ltd [2019].
His recent experience in whistleblowing law includes: Bamieh v Foreign & Commonwealth Office [2020] on the territorial test for claims against co-workers; representing a former national law firm managing partner at a two-week whistleblowing trial.
Other employment experience includes: representing the employer in a dispute concerning the pro rata entitlement to annual leave for part-time workers in Brazel v Harpur Trust [2020]; acting for c.40 claimants in a high-value group-litigation holiday pay claim against a hotel chain; acting for NHS trusts in group-action holiday pay claims. Nathan has extensive experience across areas such as unfair dismissal; contractual disputes; international law; military rights; equal pay; holiday pay; redundancy; complex pension loss; TUPE transfers and costs.
Nathan is also experienced in professional disciplinary actions. He acted successfully before the Police Appeals Tribunal in reinstating a police officer to his role, and has advised a solicitor in a High Court challenge, both cases concerning disability discrimination. He acted in the Supreme Court on the leading case on the appropriate forum for discrimination claims in a regulatory context: Michalak v GMC [2017] 1 W.L.R. 4193.
Highlight employment cases include:
Nathan has a broad public and human rights law practice. He has particular experience in claims concerning discrimination under the ECHR or the Equality Act.
He also has particular expertise in private law discrimination claims, including housing, goods and services, associations, education and transport.
Highlight cases include:
Eastham scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
Droop scholarship, Lincoln’s Inn
Kaplan Law School BPTC prize for highest overall performance in: civil litigation, criminal litigation and ethics
BPP Law School highest GDL performance in: public law and land law
May 2019: appointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s panel of counsel (C Panel)
March 2018: appointed Junior Counsel to the Crown (C Panel)
BA Philosophy, Politics and Economics, University of Oxford
GDL, BPP Law School: Distinction
BPTC, Kaplan Law School: Outstanding
Nathan is regulated by the Bar Standards Board and accepts instructions under Standard Contractual Terms. To find out more information on this and the way we work at Matrix, including our fee transparency statement, please see our see our service standards.
Nathan needs to collect and hold your personal information in order to advise and represent you. He will take all steps that are appropriate, proportionate and practicable to protect your personal information. Nathan is determined to do nothing that would infringe your rights or undermine your trust. This Privacy Notice describes the information he collects about you, how it is used and shared, and your rights regarding it. To read his privacy notice in full, please see here.
“He’s very client-friendly and produces very persuasive advocacy.” “He’s sharp, responsive, thorough in his preparation and quick on his feet.”
Chambers & Partners, 2021
“Nathan is responsive, user-friendly and excellent in cross-examination.”
Legal 500, 2021
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