Iris Ferber KC and Tim Welch are going to the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court has granted Geeks Ltd permission to appeal against the Court of Appeal decision in Geeks Ltd v Watts [2026] EWCA Civ 889.

The case asks whether employers are allowed to use clawback provisions, which require employees who leave employment early to repay training costs. Geeks succeeded in the County Court, with the court holding that Geeks’ clawback provisions protected a legitimate interest and were reasonable. Mr Watts lost his first appeal to a Circuit Judge, but his further appeal succeeded, with the Court of Appeal holding that the provisions were an unjustified restraint of trade.

The Geeks legal team is led by Charles Ciumei KC and 42BR’s Iris Ferber KC, with Tim Welch (who won the trial and first appeal in the County Court), and Katherine Ratcliffe, instructed by Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer.

4th Nov 2026

Iris Ferber KC

Call 2005 | Silk 2023

Tim Welch

Call 2009