MEET:
Roisin Swords-Kieley
Roisin joined Matrix in October 2020 following the successful completion of her Traineeship.
Roisin joined Matrix in October 2020 following the successful completion of her Traineeship.
Roisin welcomes instructions in all of Matrix’s practice areas; she practices primarily in Employment and Equality Law, Public Law and Human Rights and Commercial Law. Roisin has appeared (unled) in the High Court, Crown Court, Magistrates Court, Employment Tribunal and SEND Tribunal.
Roisin welcomes instructions in all areas of employment law and has experience across the full spectrum of employment law matters. Roisin regularly acts for both Claimants and Respondents at preliminary and final hearings, recent highlights include:
- Defending a claim for direct age discrimination in circumstances where the Claimant was dismissed following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made by a number of other employees, including a significantly younger and more junior member of staff.
- Representing a Claimant in a five day indirect sex discrimination claim; Roisin successfully obtained a restricted reporting order that prevented the Claimant from being named in media coverage of the case.
- Representing multiple Higher Education Institutions and other Respondents co-defending proceedings in the Employment Tribunal (with Claire Darwin).
- Defending a claim for whistleblowing detriment and automatically unfair dismissal, the Tribunal finding that no disclosure had in fact been made by the Claimant.
- Successfully obtaining a stay pending the conclusion of proceedings in the EAT.
Roisin welcomes instructions to draft pleadings and regularly provides both written and oral advice.
Roisin has experience in a range of public law and human rights matters. She has worked across all stages of judicial review proceedings, from advising clients at the pre-action stage to preparing for interim proceedings and appeal, recent highlights include:
- Acting as part of a team of counsel who successfully obtained an interim injunction to prevent a mass deportation charter flight in circumstances where there was a real risk that the individuals deported would be subject to inhuman and degrading treatment on their return.
- Acting (with Chris Butler) for an individual who sought to challenge the application of a 6 year limitation period to charges pursued by a Local Authority under s.69 of the Care Act 2014.
- Drafting a Summary Grounds of Defence for a University facing judicial review proceedings seeking to challenge historic exam results.
- Acting (with Jessica Jones) for two NGO’s who sought to intervene in proceedings before the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division.
- Assisting Dan Squires QC in advising on the legality of a piece of primary legislation in light of Brexit and recent ECtHR jurisprudence.
Roisin welcomes instructions in all areas of Education Law. Roisin has a particular interest in proceedings before the SEND Tribunal and has significant experience providing advice and assisting parents, carers and young people with their appeals. Roisin regularly appears before the SEND Tribunal, often dealing with complex National Trial Appeals; she also has experience of review hearings.
During traineeship, Roisin assisted in a number of jurisdictional challenges to claims brought under Part 3 and Part 6 of the Equality Act 2010 in the County Court. She has a particular interest in goods and services claims.
Roisin also assisted Nicholas Gibson in advising a regulator on its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the potential litigation risks in respect of the same.
Roisin recently appeared in the High Court (unled) and successfully represented an individual who sought the grant of a general civil restraint order, the appropriateness of which was being considered by the Court of its own initiative. Roisin successfully obtained her Client’s costs in full (Howell v Evans [2020] EWHC 2729 (QB)).
Roisin has significant commercial law experience and welcomes instructions in this area. As the Judicial Assistant to Longmore LJ in the Court of Appeal in 2017-2018 she worked on a number of significant commercial cases, for example Property Alliance Group Ltd v Royal Bank of Scotland Plc [2018] EWCA Civ 355.
During traineeship, Roisin assisted in preparing written submissions for both the Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission and was involved in proceedings before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. She also assisted (Nicholas Gibson) in advising on issues arising from the CMA’s market study into online platforms and digital advertising and on issues arising from the European Commission’s infringement decision in Case AT.40099 Google Android.
Prior to joining Matrix Roisin was the Judicial Assistant to Lord Justice Longmore in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and taught Constitutional Law at Keble College, University of Oxford. She also worked as an Immigration and Asylum paralegal.
Roisin obtained an Outstanding on the BPTC, scoring the highest mark nationally in the professional ethics paper, for which she received a Buchanan Prize from Lincoln’s Inn. Roisin’s studies were supported by a Lord Denning Scholarship and Hardwicke Entrance award from Lincoln’s Inn and an excellence award from BPP University.
Prior to studying for the bar Roisin was an academic excellence scholar of Keble College, University of Oxford where she completed both her undergraduate and postgraduate studies; she holds BA Jurisprudence and the BCL (with distinction) respectively.
Roisin is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In order to provide legal services to her clients, including advice and representation services, Roisin needs to collect and hold personal data. This includes her client’s personal data and the personal data of others who feature in the matter upon which she is instructed. To read Roisin’s privacy notice in full, please see here.
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE:
+44 (0)20 7404 3447
Roisin joined Matrix in October 2020 following the successful completion of her Traineeship.
MAIN AREAS OF PRACTICE
- Community Care Law
- Employment Law
- Civil Liberties and Human Rights
- Injunctions
- Local Government Law
- Media and Information Law
- Court Orders affecting the Media
- Defamation and Privacy
- Harassment
- Police, Inquests and Prison
- Education Law
- Commercial Public Law
Roisin Swords-Kieley
Contact Roisin: RoisinSwords-Kieley@matrixlaw.co.uk | +44 (0)20 7404 3447
Contact Roisin's Practice Team (Team M): TeamM@matrixlaw.co.uk
Roisin joined Matrix in October 2020 following the successful completion of her Traineeship.
Roisin welcomes instructions in all of Matrix’s practice areas; she practices primarily in Employment and Equality Law, Public Law and Human Rights and Commercial Law. Roisin has appeared (unled) in the High Court, Crown Court, Magistrates Court, Employment Tribunal and SEND Tribunal.
Employment
Roisin welcomes instructions in all areas of employment law and has experience across the full spectrum of employment law matters. Roisin regularly acts for both Claimants and Respondents at preliminary and final hearings, recent highlights include: Defending a claim for direct age discrimination in circumstances where the Claimant was dismissed following an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment made by a number of other employees, including a significantly younger and more junior member of staff. Representing a Claimant in a five day indirect sex discrimination claim; Roisin successfully obtained a restricted reporting order that prevented the Claimant from being named in media coverage of the case. Representing multiple Higher Education Institutions and other Respondents co-defending proceedings in the Employment Tribunal (with Claire Darwin). Defending a claim for whistleblowing detriment and automatically unfair dismissal, the Tribunal finding that no disclosure had in fact been made by the Claimant. Successfully obtaining a stay pending the conclusion of proceedings in the EAT. Roisin welcomes instructions to draft pleadings and regularly provides both written and oral advice.Public Law
Roisin has experience in a range of public law and human rights matters. She has worked across all stages of judicial review proceedings, from advising clients at the pre-action stage to preparing for interim proceedings and appeal, recent highlights include: Acting as part of a team of counsel who successfully obtained an interim injunction to prevent a mass deportation charter flight in circumstances where there was a real risk that the individuals deported would be subject to inhuman and degrading treatment on their return. Acting (with Chris Butler) for an individual who sought to challenge the application of a 6 year limitation period to charges pursued by a Local Authority under s.69 of the Care Act 2014. Drafting a Summary Grounds of Defence for a University facing judicial review proceedings seeking to challenge historic exam results. Acting (with Jessica Jones) for two NGO’s who sought to intervene in proceedings before the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division. Assisting Dan Squires QC in advising on the legality of a piece of primary legislation in light of Brexit and recent ECtHR jurisprudence.Education Law
Roisin welcomes instructions in all areas of Education Law. Roisin has a particular interest in proceedings before the SEND Tribunal and has significant experience providing advice and assisting parents, carers and young people with their appeals. Roisin regularly appears before the SEND Tribunal, often dealing with complex National Trial Appeals; she also has experience of review hearings.Equality Law
During traineeship, Roisin assisted in a number of jurisdictional challenges to claims brought under Part 3 and Part 6 of the Equality Act 2010 in the County Court. She has a particular interest in goods and services claims. Roisin also assisted Nicholas Gibson in advising a regulator on its obligations under the Equality Act 2010 and the potential litigation risks in respect of the same.Commercial
Roisin recently appeared in the High Court (unled) and successfully represented an individual who sought the grant of a general civil restraint order, the appropriateness of which was being considered by the Court of its own initiative. Roisin successfully obtained her Client’s costs in full (Howell v Evans [2020] EWHC 2729 (QB)). Roisin has significant commercial law experience and welcomes instructions in this area. As the Judicial Assistant to Longmore LJ in the Court of Appeal in 2017-2018 she worked on a number of significant commercial cases, for example Property Alliance Group Ltd v Royal Bank of Scotland Plc [2018] EWCA Civ 355.Competition Law
During traineeship, Roisin assisted in preparing written submissions for both the Competition and Markets Authority and the European Commission and was involved in proceedings before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. She also assisted (Nicholas Gibson) in advising on issues arising from the CMA’s market study into online platforms and digital advertising and on issues arising from the European Commission’s infringement decision in Case AT.40099 Google Android.Other Experiences
Prior to joining Matrix Roisin was the Judicial Assistant to Lord Justice Longmore in the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and taught Constitutional Law at Keble College, University of Oxford. She also worked as an Immigration and Asylum paralegal.Qualifications and Awards
Roisin obtained an Outstanding on the BPTC, scoring the highest mark nationally in the professional ethics paper, for which she received a Buchanan Prize from Lincoln’s Inn. Roisin’s studies were supported by a Lord Denning Scholarship and Hardwicke Entrance award from Lincoln’s Inn and an excellence award from BPP University. Prior to studying for the bar Roisin was an academic excellence scholar of Keble College, University of Oxford where she completed both her undergraduate and postgraduate studies; she holds BA Jurisprudence and the BCL (with distinction) respectively.Roisin's Privacy Notice
Roisin is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In order to provide legal services to her clients, including advice and representation services, Roisin needs to collect and hold personal data. This includes her client’s personal data and the personal data of others who feature in the matter upon which she is instructed. To read Roisin’s privacy notice in full, please see here.