Barrister
âA tower of strength with incredible capacity for work and someone you would always want on your teamâ (Legal 500)
Ronnie is ranked as a leading junior in his two main practice areas: employment and public law.
Clients describe him as âexcellent all-roundâ â
- âphenomenal in front of the judgeâ, âa really strong advocateâ who is âvery impressive on his feetâ,
- âa relentless cross-examinerâ who âmanages to find exactly the right toneâ, âfocused and courteous yet firmâ,
- âa razor-sharp mindâ, âvery brightâ with âgreat tactical insightâ,
- âhis analysis is superb in drilling down into what really matters to advance the best possible caseâ,
- âhighly commercial in terms of looking at what the client wants as an end gameâ,
- âvery client friendlyâ, âa pleasure to deal withâ and, âso easy to work with ⊠as he is highly skilled and technically excellent yet very approachableâ (Chambers UK Bar/ Legal 500).
Ronnie has extensive experience in all areas of employment litigation, with a particular focus on discrimination and whistleblowing claims. He is regularly instructed in complex, high-profile and high-value claims on behalf of both employers and employees, and frequently conducts lengthy hearings in the Employment Tribunal. He also specialises in employee competition claims and has acted in a number of confidential information, restrictive covenant and team move cases.
Ronnieâs public law practice encompasses all areas of judicial review. He has acted in a number of high-profile judicial review claims on behalf of private companies, local authorities and central government. Recent cases include acting for 7 local authorities in a challenge to the Home Secretaryâs policy for asylum dispersal in the UK, and acting for a private hire app defending a challenge to its licence to operate in London in the Admin Court and Court of Appeal.
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Barrister
Zac has a versatile practice encompassing commercial, employment, data protection, defamation and privacy, public, public international and sport law. He is often instructed in cases at the intersect of those areas, and by clients whose business or wider interests straddle them.
The breadth of Zacâs practice is reflected in the Courts and tribunals in which he appears. He has appeared in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, all divisions of the High Court, the Employment Appeal Tribunal, the Competition Appeal Tribunal, a number of specialist first-tier tribunals (employment, information law and immigration and asylum) and sports disciplinary bodies. Zac has also appeared in the International Court of Justice.
Zac is ranked as a leading junior by Legal 500 in four of his practice areas: employment, data protection law, defamation and privacy and sport. He is ranked by Chambers & Partners in employment and data protection. He has been described in the directories as a âstar juniorâ and âsuperb barristerâ, âan all-around intellectual and practical talentâ who âdemonstrates abilities well beyond his year of callâ and has a âbrilliant mindâ.
Zac is comfortable working as sole counsel or as part of a larger team. His advocacy is consistently highlighted in the directories, where he has been described as âa superb advocateâ, âa very effective cross-examinerâ who âmakes cogent oral submissions which effectively bring out the strength of his caseâ.
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Barrister
Julian is highly recommended in all the leading legal directories, with Chambers and Partners commenting: âJulian Blake is very solid. He presents difficult cases like itâs the most sensible thing youâve heard in your life.â
The directories have consistently observed that he is able to âexplain very complex areas of law in a very straightforward mannerâ, providing âclear, user-friendly adviceâ. He has been recommended as âthe most user-friendly barristerâ who is, âextremely personable and great to work withâ. Julian is currently shortlisted for the âJunior of the Yearâ award in the Inquests and Public Inquiries category of the Chambers and Partners UK Bar Awards 2024.
Julian acts in a wide range of public law, media and information law, technology, healthcare and commercial law fields. As an experienced member of the Attorney Generalâs âAâ Panel of Counsel, Julian regularly acts for HM Government in some of its most complex and sensitive cases including in several challenges before the Supreme Court.
Recent highlights include representing the Prime Minister and Department of Health and Social Care in a challenge by the Good Law Project to appointments made during the COVID-19 Pandemic, representing the Chief Medical Officer in the subsequent COVID-19 Inquiry and appearing as Counsel to the Inquiry in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.
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Barrister
Simon was called in 1988 and took silk in 2009. He is a leading KC practicing in all areas of statutory and contractual/commercial employment law, but with a particular emphasis on (i) inter-business competition issues (including confidential information, restrictive covenants and the poaching of employees in unlawful team moves), (ii) employee/business owner fraud, (iii) the attempted diversion of business opportunities by employee fiduciaries, and (iv) whistle-blowing, discrimination and TUPE disputes. He also has considerable experience in the sports forum, in disputes between LLP members, in the management and control of repeated/vexatious litigation, and in the conduct of internal investigations.
According to recent directory recommendations, âhis advocacy skills, robustness and tenacity always places the client in the strongest positionâ, he is âincredibly bright and hugely persuasive in courtâ, and he âbrings his strong intellect to every detailed corner of a complex caseâ. He is a âgo-to silk for non-compete disputes” and âprovides excellent client service ⊠very responsive and happy to roll up his sleeves in a case.“
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Barrister
Sophie Belgrove is a specialist in employment law and commercial litigation. She advises and represents clients in the Employment Tribunal, the High Court and the appellate courts. Her practice encompasses all aspects of employment law including high value discrimination and whistleblowing claims. She is experienced in complex litigation in particular urgent applications for injunctive relief and business protection disputes in the High Court relating to confidential information, restraint of trade and breach of fiduciary duties. She advises and acts in disputes involving shareholders and directors and in partnership disputes. Sophie is also known for her specialist expertise in employment-related insurance disputes. She has extensive experience of advising and representing clients in the financial services sector, including investment banks and brokers. She is recognised as a leading practitioner in Chambers UK and in the Legal 500.
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Barrister
Tom is a leading junior in employment, commercial, and regulatory law.
His employment work encompasses all areas of statutory and commercial employment law, with a particular focus on cases with a regulatory angle or commercial driver. Tomâs commercial work usually arises in an employment context, but not exclusively.
Tom is also a regulatory / professional discipline specialist. He is well-known for his work in financial services, and also acts in the accountancy and legal sectors. Chambers & Partners recognise Tom âfor his considerable expertise in matters at the intersection of financial services regulation and employment law.â
He has significant experience in equality law, investigation/inquiry work, and public law matters, particularly in the education sector.
Tom acts in a range of jurisdictions within and around the UK, including ETs in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Tom is registered in Part II of the DIFCâs Register of Legal Practitioners. Â He has been instructed in a range of disputes in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) and the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC).
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