John has practised in employment law since working for the Free Representation Unit in the 1990s, his first reported employment case is Intasean v Glenthorpe Engineering Co [1998] UKEAT 924_98_0110 (1 October 1998)
He has a good understanding of the full range of employment issues and often advises where employment abuts other areas of concern like sport, intellectual property, confidentiality or trade secrets. He recently represented the three corporate defendants in the widely reported case Tenon FM Ltd v Cawley & Ors [2018] EWHC 1972 (QB) (25 July 2018) which considered the appropriate approach to injunctive relief, poaching of employees and post contractual obligations.
John has been instructed by the Police Federation and represented officers from a number of forces and also frequently represents health professionals. He has a good understanding of the internal workings of sports organisations and is the Chair of Discipline and Grievance at British Fencing (the National Governing Body for Fencing). He has represented sport participants in disciplinary hearings and acted for clubs in a broad range of sports. He frequently advises local authorities and has sat on and advised remuneration committees. He is a statutory Independent Person on the Standards Committee at Craven District Council and has advised broadly on standards issues.
John is a keen advocate of Alternative Dispute Resolution and is an accredited mediator.
His recent employment work has included race, sex and disability discrimination, restrictive covenants and employee competition, trade secrets, conduct and internal resolution (including mediation), unfair dismissal, redundancy, transfer of undertakings, working time, holiday and sickness remuneration, bonuses, notice pay, whistleblowing, injunctions and fraud.
John is able to accept instructions via Direct Access in appropriate circumstances.
Contact John’s clerks
Senior Clerk – Andy Reeves on 0113 213 5252
Talia Webster on 0113 202 8609
Mike Alexander on 0113 2135268
Ben Ellison-Tope on 0113 2135207