Barrister Profile

Main Areas of Practice

Employment Law
Family Law
Personal Injury
Professional Negligence

Biography

1978; Called to the Bar of Northern Ireland

1996; Called to the Bar of Ireland

Member of the Panel for the Directorate of Legal Services Northern Ireland

Qualifications

1994 - 2000; Director of Legal Services Fair Employment Commission NI / Equality Commission for NI

1998 - 2001; External Examiner for the Institute of Professional Legal Studies Queen’s University Belfast - 3 year term

2005 - 2008; NI Bar representative on the CCBE

Member of the Employment Lawyers Group for Northern Ireland

Trainer for the Advocacy Training Board for the Bar Council of Northern Ireland

Member of the Family Bar Association

Member of the Personal Injuries Bar Association

Experience

Varied practice in discrimination, employment, civil and ancillary relief ;which includes:-

Advising and representing government departments, Police Ombudsman for NI and local councils in respect of discrimination and employment cases

Advising and representing the Equality Commission in respect of discrimination cases, e.g.

• Shamoon v Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary [2003] UKHL 11; [2003] NI 174; [2003] 2 All ER 26 – leading authority on hypothetical comparators and what constituted a detriment.

Advising victims of discrimination / stress at work and/or employers in relation to presenting or defending High Court claims and related Tribunal matters e.g.

• Harrison, Harry v Randox Laboratories Limited & another [2012] NIIT 01107 10IT - decision on territorial jurisdiction

Representing a range of equal pay claimants against government departments including a number who are the first equal pay plaintiffs in the High Court

High value ancillary relief claims