Robert Winspear

Introduction

Robert has a broad civil practice in all core areas of chambers. He has acted in complex litigation, acting as sole counsel in s.204 homelessness appeals and multi-day employment trials, and junior counsel in the Court of Appeal and in multi-track trials. Robert is accomplished in drafting and advisory work, maintaining a busy paperwork practice alongside his court work. Robert has received praise from both professional and lay clients in respect of his client care.

Employment Law

Robert acts for both employees and employers in all areas of employment law. Robert is comfortable handling matters from pre-action up to and including trial. Robert is able to advise in between each step to ensure the claim/defence is prepared as best as it can be, or otherwise advise on the possibility of settlement.

Robert is particularly adept at dealing with claims under the Equality Act. Similar issues arise in his social housing practice, meaning that he has solid experience of discrimination claims despite his relatively junior year of call.

Recent matters

Represented an employer in a 3-day procedural unfair dismissal and discrimination claim
Led by Iris Ferber in a multi-week case where a senior employee of a school was claiming unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. Adjourned late, to be heard in February 2023
Full conduct of a 5-day disability discrimination claim: from the preliminary hearing onwards, trial listed for September 2022

Scholarships & Awards

Lord Denning Scholarship (Major BPTC scholarship awarded by Lincoln’s Inn)
Buchanan Prize (Awarded by Lincoln’s Inn for achieving an Outstanding on the BPTC)
4 King’s Bench Walk Prize for Advocacy (awarded by the University of Law for the aggregate-highest marks in the advocacy assessments on the BPTC)

Mathew McDermott and Robert Winspear have been successful for the landlord in the Court of Appeal, in an important case about the quantum of Rent Repayment Orders

Rent Repayment Orders: the Court of Appeal has this morning handed down judgment in Kowalek v Hassanein Ltd dismissing the tenants’ appeal from the Upper Tribunal.

Published: 25th Jul 2022

Robert Winspear discusses the recent Upper Tribunal decision in Hallett v Parker [2022] UKUT 165: Landlord’s 100% RRO reduced, as FTT had failed to consider landlord’s circumstances

Robert Winspear discusses the recent Upper Tribunal decision in Hallett v Parker [2022] UKUT 165

Published: 30th Jun 2022

Webinar - Disrepair: Valuing a County Court Disrepair Claim

Barristers Robert Winspear & Desmond Kilcoyne will be providing some virtual training for our next Housing Webinar

Published: 3rd Feb 2022

Injunctions against the World:

Robert Winspear discusses the Court of Appeal’s decision in LB Barking and Dagenham v Persons Unknown [2022] EWCA Civ 13

Published: 26th Jan 2022

Robert Winspear discusses the recent Court of Appeal decision in Metropolitan Housing Trust Limited v TM [2021] EWCA Civ 1890

Too little too late: Successful PSED challenge to a possession order

Published: 21st Dec 2021

Robert Winspear discusses the recent Court of Appeal decision in Hajjaj v City of Westminster; Akhter v LB Waltham Forest [2021] EWCA 1688

What you don’t know can hurt you (if you are a local authority making a private sector offer)

Published: 2nd Dec 2021