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EXPERIENCE
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Claire has a wide experience of drafting in employment and general civil matters. She has appeared as an advocate in both the Magistrates Court and the Crown Court, as well as appearances in the County Court, High Court and employment tribunals.
Additionally, she has appeared at appellate level in both the EAT and Court of Appeal.
Claire has a reputation for being personable and engaging as well as excellent with clients. She gives concise, practical advice and is an effective and persuasive advocate.
In March 2009, Claire was appointed as Treasury Counsel (C Panel – Civil)
Employment
Having undertaken her pupillage at a specialist employment set, Claire continues to undertake both Claimant and Respondent work in the Employment Tribunal, ranging from small family employers to stock exchange listed bodies, and including political and sporting bodies and Government organisations. Her practice covers all areas of employment law, including unfair and wrongful dismissal, working time regulations, TUPE cases and discrimination, and is instructed in Tribunals across the country. Claire regularly advises on restrictive covenants. She has particular experience in agency law, having represented a number of employment agencies. More recently she has represented organisations including Her Majesty’s Prison Service, UKBA, the Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and the Home Office, including a considerable number of disability discrimination claims.
Notable cases include:
- Successfully representing a company who engaged a pilot as Chief Captain of a private plane in a 3 day hearing for unfair dismissal, whistleblowing, and breach of contract, including issues of employment status.
- Representing a former finance director of an AIM listed company in a 5 day Tribunal hearing for equal pay, sex discrimination, unfair dismissal, wrongful dismissal etc. The case was settled for an undisclosed sum on day 3 after cross-examining the Chief Executive of the Respondents.
- Successfully representing Millwall Football Club in a 2 day hearing involving unfair and wrongful dismissal from a former employee.
- Successfully representing a Government department in a 10 day disability discrimination case.
Claire has also appeared at full and preliminary hearings in the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
General Civil Matters
Claire also undertakes general civil cases, from small claims to multi-track trials, in particular relating to commercial and general contractual disputes, and general property law. She has also appeared in the High Court.
She successfully represented a Big Brother contestant in his claim for contact with his dog against his former partner (another former Big Brother contestant). The case was reported in the London press and also the subject matter of a BBC documentary. She has also undertaken a number of possession hearings, and delivered a seminar on the pitfalls of residential possession proceedings.
Criminal
Claire appears regularly as a defence advocate in the Crown Court, in both appeals and trials, for offences of violence, drugs, theft, deception, false instruments, arson, and counterfeit goods. Recent cases include s.18, robbery, possession with intent to use a false instrument, Trade Marks Act offences, and an ABH trial for Colin Farrell (sadly not the famous actor!).
She has appeared successfully in the Court of Appeal, against a sentence for a charge of conspiracy to defraud, reducing the sentence from a 7 to a 4½ year starting point: R v Militaru, [2008] 1 Cr.App. R. (S.) 108.
Notable cases include:
R v C – junior counsel to first on the indictment for conspiracy to defraud, fraudulent trading, and handling stolen goods arising from a Cash Converters store. The conspiracy to defraud and fraudulent trading charges were successfully defended. This case required considerable input in the form of defence schedules and the marshalling of complex computer records in Microsoft Excel.
R v A – junior counsel in a multi-handed conspiracy to supply Class A drugs, namely a large quantity of heroin. Claire cross-examined one of the undercover officers and made legal submissions during the trial. The Defendant was acquitted.
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