Louise is recognised in the legal directories as a leading junior in employment law. Louise has significant experience in multi-party equal pay litigation and has experience of complex discrimination claims. She enjoys, and is skilled at preparing and presenting lengthy, fact rich, document heavy first instance employment cases and also has an appellate practice.
She regularly acts on behalf of local authorities, NHS Trusts, police services, financial institutions and other large employers in complex discrimination cases and has represented several local authorities, NHS Trusts and private sector employers in large multi-party equal pay. She has been instructed in the Birmingham City Council equal pay litigation (reputed to be the largest ever equal pay case) since 2007, and more recently for a large supermarket in an ongoing equal pay litigation.
Louise acts regularly on behalf of employees and trade unions. She has particular expertise in matters relating to the employment and dismissal of medical practitioners and is instructed regularly by both NHS Trusts and doctors.
A selection of recent cases
Equal Pay
Ongoing equal pay claims against a large supermarket. Recent appearances include EAT hearings in relation to a dispute about the validity of a job evaluation scheme, comparator disclosure ([2021] 1 WLUK 474) and a stay. The case is listed for a multi week employment tribunal hearing in 2023;
Birmingham City Council equal pay litigation which has included a 5-week GMF hearing and multiple other appearances in the tribunal, EAT, CA and the Supreme Court (in Abdulla & others [2013] IRLR 38);
Many other multiple and individual claims in both the private and public sector organisations.
Discrimination
- Smo v Hywel DDA University Health Board [2022] – a complex employment tribunal claim for direct race discrimination, victimisation, unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal in which Louise acted for the respondent against leading counsel and succeeded on all issues, including establishing that a complaint of race discrimination was made in bad faith;
- Shittu v South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust [2022] IRLR 382]– disability discrimination and other matters (EAT);
- The Commissioner of the City of London Police v Geldart [2021] I.C.R. 1329 – sex/maternity discrimination (CA);
- X v a firm [2019] – complex associative discrimination claim involving a vulnerable witness;
- Dahou v Serco Ltd – trade union dismissal claim – went to the Court of Appeal via the EAT and was remitted to the tribunal;
- Kudrath v National Policing Improvement Agency – 5-week ET case about sex and race discrimination. Acted for the Respondent and succeeded in relation to all 62 allegations.
Injunctions
- Jain v Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust;
- Elangovan v The Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust;
- Fynes v St Georges Healthcare NHS Trust [2014] All ER (D) 210 (Mar) – claim for an injunction to restrain a Trust for pursuing conduct proceedings;
- West London Mental Health Trust v Dr Chhabra [2013] IRLR 398 – CA case about injunctive relief so as to restrain proposed disciplinary proceedings;
- Kulkarni v Milton Keynes Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust [2009] IRLR 829 – Louise obtained the initial HC injunction in this case;
- WRN Ltd v Ayris [2008] IRLR 889, a case involving the enforcement of restrictive covenants.
