Serena Crawshay-Williams

Serena has experience representing claimants and respondents in the Employment Tribunal. Serena’s recent instructions include:

• Successfully represented a claimant in a 5-day disability discrimination trial.
• Successfully represented a respondent in a 3-day whistleblowing trial.
• Successfully represented a claimant in a 2-day unfair dismissal trial involving redundancy.
• Currently instructed by a claimant in a sex discrimination, age discrimination and unfair dismissal claim. Serena drafted the Grounds of Complaint and will be representing the claimant at the preliminary hearing and the final hearing.
• Currently instructed by a union in a multi-party holiday pay claim, led by Michael Ford QC.
• Currently instructed by a claimant in a complex 6-day race discrimination claim, led by Jack Mitchell.
• Currently instructed by a respondent in a 4-day whistleblowing claim.

Before coming to the Bar, Serena worked as a Research Assistant for Professor of Labour Law, Alan Bogg. She also worked for an employment law consultancy where she helped to conduct a workplace investigation for an NHS Trust.

Between October 2020 and February 2021, Serena completed a secondment in the employment team at Capsticks LLP. During secondment, Serena gained experience drafting pleadings, witness statements, and advices. She also regularly represented NHS Trusts in the Employment Tribunal.

Serena is co-author of the Westlaw Insight articles on: contracts of employment, gratuities and tips, holiday pay, national minimum wage, reinstatement and re-engagement, shop stewards, trade unions, unlawful deductions of wages, wages, and workforce agreements.

Serena is a member of the Employment Law Bar Association and the Employment Lawyers Association

Serena has a busy personal injury practice, regularly advising and appearing in claims involving road traffic accidents, occupiers’ liability, employers’ liability, and public liability. She frequently drafts pleadings, schedules of loss, and advices on liability and quantum.

Serena adopts a strategic approach to litigation. As a trained mediator, Serena has developed a high standard of communication and negotiation skills. She has been praised for her client care skills and her ability to handle sensitive matters with clients during conferences.

As a pupil, Serena gained experience in a wide range of personal injury matters when supervised by Christopher Walker and Toby Kempster. Serena developed a particular interest in brain injury cases that involved mental capacity issues. She regularly attended joint settlement meetings, expert conferences, CCMC hearings, and multi-track trials.

Serena is a member of the Personal Injuries Bar Association.

Serena was recently instructed by UNISON, led by Michael Ford QC and Stuart Brittenden, in a claim for judicial review of The Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payments Regulations 2020. In February 2021, the Government revoked the Regulations.

During pupillage, Serena assisted Ben Collins QC, Nadia Motraghi, Eleena Misra and Rachel Owusu-Agyei in Adiatu v HM Treasury [2020] EWHC 1554 (Admin), a case concerning an application for judicial review in a challenge to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and the Statutory Sick Pay regimes that excluded workers not paid by PAYE.

Serena is a member of the Attorney General’s Junior Junior Scheme.

• Eight members of Old Square Chambers act in judicial review concerning the Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payments Regulations 2020
• Insolvency and Employment Law – Spencer Keen and Serena Crawshay-Williams
• ET finds that “gender reassignment” (s.7 EqA) includes gender fluid and non-binary individuals
• Uber BV v Aslam