Tim’s employment practice includes the full range of statutory claims before the ET and common law actions in the High Court.

Recent Cases

Employment status

• Ryanair DAC and Storm Global v Lutz [2024] IRLR 299: Led by Edward Brown KC in the EAT in aviation employment status test case (On appeal to the Court of Appeal).
• Boulton & Ors v (1) Storm Global Limited (2) Ryanair DAC (3) Parc Aviation (UK) Limited (ET) (2023): Acting as sole counsel instructed by Second Respondent in multi-party aviation employment status case.
• Advising national logistics company on employment status of drivers in business reorganisation (ET) (2023).
• Harrison v Lloyds Bank plc (ET): Acting as sole counsel instructed by Respondent in in employment status claim based on tripartite contractual arrangements (2022).

Jurisdiction & immunity

• Taylor & Ors v Kuwait Investment Office: Led by Charles Ciumei KC in ET proceedings brought by senior employees of the Kuwait Investment Office (the London Office managing the State of Kuwait’s sovereign wealth fund) resisted on state and diplomatic immunity grounds; acting for former Vice President HR (2023) (https://www.ft.com/content/638e80fa-8f1c-44e3-9e28-bfeb99daacf4).
• Pejic v (1) Storm Global Limited (2) Ryanair DAC: Aviation whistleblowing case brought by a pilot; preliminary issues include territorial and international jurisdiction (2024).
• Advising an international recruitment agency on territorial and international jurisdiction issues in relation to contractual and unfair dismissal claims brought in both Singapore and the UK (2024).
• Advising a household name news anchor in relation to discrimination and unfair dismissal claims with difficult jurisdictional issues including territorial and international jurisdiction (2022)

Discrimination 

• Sohail & Khalid v Lloyds Bank plc: Acting for Lloyds Bank with Charles Ciumei KC in a religious discrimination case involving employee posts on internal social media platforms: (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/lloyds-palestine-israel-gaza-sued-b2579919.html / https://news.bloomberglaw.com/insurance/lloyds-sued-by-uk-employees-disciplined-over-pro-palestine-posts) (Ongoing)
• Blackdown Hill Management Ltd & Ors [2023] EAT 156: Successfully appealed ET finding that a Russian entrepreneur discriminated against his inhouse lawyer on the grounds of pregnancy/maternity/sex discrimination: (https://www.law360.co.uk/articles/1779808/russian-tycoon-wins-appeal-of-lawyer-s-maternity-bias-case) (https://metro.co.uk/2022/04/28/russian-tycoon-didnt-tell-lawyer-she-had-been-made-redundant-16552955/).
• Koziol v WM Morrisons Supermarkets plc (ET): acting for the Respondent in full merits hearing; successful application of no case to answer ended all claims without calling the Respondent’s witnesses.
• AA v B and C: 2304865/2020: Acting for the Respondent in full merits hearing in claims of sex discrimination, sexual harassment and victimisation; following 2 days of cross-examination of the Claimant the Tribunal found the alleged incidents did not happen.
• John Plant v Bank of Beirut UKEAT/0239/18/DA: Led by Charles Ciumei KC acting for Respondent bank; successfully struck out whistleblowing and discrimination claims in proceedings in the ET, EAT, Court of Appeal and connected proceedings in the County Court 2018-(ongoing). 

Whistleblowing 

• Litchfield v TUI Airways Limited 3322329/2021: Acting for the Respondent in aviation whistleblowing case; successfully defended all claims following multi-day hearing of allegations relating to maintenance failures (2024).  
• Simons v London Borough of Merton: 2301820/2021: Successfully acted for Claimant at final hearing of whistleblowing claims relating to covering up overdose in a care home (2024).

Strike out/deposit orders

• Led by Charles Ciumei KC acting for Respondent bank in John Plant v Bank of Beirut UKEAT/0239/18/DA; successfully struck out whistleblowing and discrimination claims in proceedings in the ET, EAT, Court of Appeal and connected proceedings in the County Court 2018-2023 (ongoing).
• Successfully struck out whistleblowing and discrimination claims; acting for Respondent Canary Wharf finance company (2023).
• Successfully struck out a whistleblowing and discrimination claim; acting for the Respondent real estate investment fund (2021).
• Successfully struck out a disability discrimination claim; acting for the Respondent High Street Bank (2019).

Costs

• John Plant v Bank of Beirut: Successfully obtained a costs order for the Bank in the sum of £394,589.18 (2021) (enforcement proceedings in the County Court (2023) (With Charles Ciumei KC).
• Miah v FIS Capital Markets UK Ltd: Successfully obtained a costs award in the sum of £15,619 for the Respondent following strike out of whistleblowing and discrimination claims (2022). 

Tupe

• Acting and advising for Respondent Rail Infrastructure company in complex multi-party TUPE proceedings involving making strategic interim applications resulting in settlement of all claims on second day of trial (2020).
• Acting for Respondent in complex service provision change case involving outsourced cleaning company (2022).

Unfair dismissal

• Blackdown Hill Management Ltd & Ors [2023] EAT 156: Acting for the Respondent in the EAT in appeal relating to the adequacy of a pool of one in a redundancy process in unfair dismissal claim.
• Successfully defended complex unfair dismissal claim brought by employee dismissed for breaching COVID rules (2022).
• Advising well known news anchor in relation to discrimination and unfair dismissal claims with difficult jurisdictional issues (2022).

Miscellaneous

• Advising and settling particulars for a group of employee EMI shareholders in a claim for £3.6 million in High Court proceedings.
• Oliveira v Kingdom Cleaning Ltd 2302361/2022: Acting for a claimant in a bonus case in ET proceedings; successfully argued the claimant had an implied contractual right to a bonus and had not agreed to a variation of that right by acquiescence.
• Advising a BBC Journalist in relation to restructure and redundancy matters (2021).

Restraint of trade & confidentiality

• Watts v Geeks Ltd: successfully acted for Geeks in County Court proceedings in case on the application of restraint of trade and enforceability of recovery of training costs clauses (appeal listed in 2024).
• Acting for recruitment agency in case involving employee breach of restrictive covenants; confidentiality; fiduciary duties and conspiracy to procure a breach of contract (2022).
• Acting for wealth management company in case involving breach of express and implied terms of confidentiality (2022).
• Acting for recruitment agency in application for contempt of court (2022).
• Successfully acted for Respondent tech company in Bennett & Day v Geeks Ltd 2020 (on appeal to the EAT) in case on the application of restraint of trade and enforceability of recovery of training costs clauses (https://www.ft.com/content/0164135c-0cfa-4efe-a78b-c2d0e8bdf937) (2021).
• Advising haulage company in restraint of trade case (2021).

Cases involving healthcare entities and professionals

• Acting for a dental surgery in Covid related contractual claim in the County Court.
• Advising a dental surgery in relation to issues arising out of the Covid furlough scheme.
• Acting for a Consultant Cardiologist in ET proceedings.
• Advising a high net worth Consultant Psychiatrist in relation to a redundancy claim.
• Advising a Consultant Cosmetic Surgeon in relation to restraint of trade and restrictive covenants.
• Advising a Consultant Surgeon in relation to a constructive dismissal claim.
• Advising a GP in a partnership dispute.
• Acting for a Radiologist in a professional disciplinary hearing.
• Acting for a Pharmacist in a pregnancy discrimination claim.
• Acting for a Harley Street therapy clinic in litigation focused on restraint of trade and restrictive covenants.
• Acting for the Hospital Director of a private hospital in a case involving allegations of disability discrimination.