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Stuart Brittenden KC

Silk: 2024 | Call: 1999

“Stuart has the best client care of any counsel I have instructed.”

Chambers & Partners 2025

“Stuart has an exceptional work ethic. He is very charming and thoughtful, and wears his considerable talent lightly, putting his clients at ease. He has an easy style of advocacy which is respectful to both opponents and judges.”

The Legal 500 2025

"Stuart gets the full picture and is a strong tactician and very easy to work with. He will drill into necessary detail, which is often the clincher in a successful outcome."

Chambers & Partners 2024

"Stuart is an incredibly hard-working junior with an attractive advocacy style."

The Legal 500 2024

"He is absolutely outstanding - he cuts through the chaff, he is very analytical, he has a good client manner, he is quick in turning around work, he is strategic and he is an excellent cross-examiner so it is a joy to watch him filleting someone on the other side." "He is very good with an employment tribunal and he has a real knack of explaining things to non-lawyers."

Chambers Bar Awards

Overview

Stuart is an employment law specialist with extensive experience in the full spectrum of individual and collective employment law, appearing at first instance and at appellate levels. Stuart was called to the Bar in 1999 and took silk in 2024.

He is ranked by both Chambers & Partners and The Legal 500. Stuart has been commended by the former for being “… able to analyse complex matters in an extremely practical and commercial way” and is someone who “thinks ten paces ahead and is very good on his feet.”

His practice areas include Employment & Discrimination, Industrial Relations, Professional Discipline, and Judicial Review.

He is regularly instructed in cases of strategic importance, including three recent appearances in the Supreme Court: Kostal UK Ltd v Dunkley [2022] ICR 434, [2022] IRLR 66 SC (inducements relating to collective bargaining – s. 145B TULRCA 1992); Secretary of State for Business & Trade v Mercer [2024] ICR 814, [2024] IRLR 599 (detriment short of dismissal for participating in industrial action/right to strike under Article 11 ECHR, declaration of incompatibility under s. 4 HRA 1998); and also in the “fire and re-hire” challenge in Tesco Stores Ltd v USDAW & Ors [2024] UKSC 28 where the Supreme Court granted a permanent injunction to restrain the employer from dismissing workers to remove a contractual entitlement to retained pay.

Prior to joining Old Square Chambers, Stuart attained a Masters in Labour Law (Distinction) at the London School of Economics (LSE), and worked as an Employment Law Advisor to the British Dental Association (BDA). He has lectured in Labour Law at the LSE.

Stuart is instructed from a variety of sources, including but not limited to the banking/financial, health, higher education sector, hospitality, legal, and local authorities, as well as undertaking work of strategic importance for and on behalf of a number of trade unions.

Positions of Responsibility:

  • Vice Chair of Old Square Chambers Employment Law Special Interest Group
  • Employment Lawyers Association (ELA): Director and Management Committee Member (2012-14)
  • Bar Standards Board Qualifications Committee (2005 -2012), latterly Chairman of Transferring Qualified Foreign Lawyers Panel
  • International Paralympic Committee (IPC) ad hoc disciplinary panel member, Anti-Doping Rule Violations (ADRV)

Professional Memberships:

  • Employment Law Bar Association (ELBA)
  • Employment Lawyers Association (ELA)
  • Institute of Employment Rights (IER)
  • Industrial Law Society (ILS)

Professional Recommendations

 

“Stuart has an exceptional work ethic. He is very charming and thoughtful, and wears his considerable talent lightly, putting his clients at ease. He has an easy style of advocacy which is respectful to both opponents and judges.”

The Legal 500 2025

“Stuart is an incredible barrister.”

Chambers & Partners 2025

“Stuart has the best client care of any counsel I have instructed.”

Chambers & Partners 2025

“Stuart is unbeatable in every way.”

Chambers & Partners 2025

“Stuart gets the full picture and is a strong tactician and very easy to work with. He will drill into necessary detail, which is often the clincher in a successful outcome.”

Chambers & Partners 2024

“Stuart is brilliant at the law and superb with clients. He is very much the team player. Nothing is too much trouble.”

Chambers & Partners 2024

“Stuart is one of the best juniors at the employment Bar. He is outstanding in every respect.”

Chambers & Partners 2024

“Stuart is an incredibly hard-working junior with an attractive advocacy style.”

The Legal 500 2024

“He is an expert advocate: witnesses are put to the test with Stuart and his friendly demeanour belies a heavyweight in cross-examination.”

Chambers & Partners 2023

“Stuart provides excellent all-round advice on complex issues.”

Chambers & Partners 2023

“A true specialist on trade union-related claims, whistle-blowing and complex discrimination claims.”

Chambers & Partners 2023

“Stuart is the best junior at the employment Bar. He is fiercely intelligent, hugely responsive, and always willing to go the extra mile for clients. It is also hard to think of many recent leading cases in the industrial relations arena that he has not been involved in.”

The Legal 500 2023

“The best junior in the business by a distance. Always mucks in, is incredibly speedy and always right – a go-to for difficult issues.”

The Legal 500 2022

“He is absolutely outstanding – he cuts through the chaff, he is very analytical, he has a good client manner, he is quick in turning around work, he is strategic and he is an excellent cross-examiner so it is a joy to watch him filleting someone on the other side.” “He is very good with an employment tribunal and he has a real knack of explaining things to non-lawyers.”

Chambers & Partners 2022

“He combines his high intellect and sharp mind with a warm and approachable manner.” “He’s very approachable, great with clients, very bright and clever – the go-to barrister for complex matters.”

Chambers & Partners 2021

“The best junior at the employment bar, without exception. He is intelligent, pragmatic and you could not find a more responsive barrister, who is ready to roll his sleeves up and become an integral extension to your own team.”

The Legal 500 2021

“Rare breed of barrister who is extremely good both legally and also in dealings with clients.”

The Legal 500 2020

“Incredibly clever, hard-working, inventive and very, very good with clients.” “Stuart is like an encyclopaedia of case knowledge, who always provides great advice and guidance whenever needed.”

Chambers & Partners 2020

“He is able to analyse complex matters in an extremely practical and commercial way” “thinks ten paces ahead and is very good on his feet.” “Excellent advocate with an eye for detail and commercially astute.” “an academically terrific opponent.”

Chambers & Partners 2017

“WWL acknowledges “his strong expertise in the equality act 2010 and equal pay matters.”

Who's Who Legal 2018

Expertise

Employment & Discrimination

Industrial Relations

Judicial Review

Professional Regulatory & Discipline

HR Professional Support


Recent and current work

Relevant Work

Key contacts

Olivia Moliterno

Team Leader
Olivia Moliterno Telephone Clerk020 7269 0477 Email Clerk

Manisha Agheda

Junior Team Leader Assistant
Manisha Agheda Telephone Clerk020 7269 0300 Email Clerk
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Out of hours

William Meade (Senior Clerk)

07970 649 755