Kieran Wilson

Kieran has a broad practice across the full spectrum of employment law, with a particular interest in discrimination (including equal pay), whistleblowing, business protection, and matters involving trade unions and their members. He is regularly instructed to appear at all stages of proceedings in both the Employment Tribunal and in the civil courts in employment-related matters, as well as advising on strategy prior to cases reaching litigation.

Kieran is also regularly instructed to draft pleadings and other documents for use in proceedings. His experience of drafting spans the range of employment law causes of action, as well as documents for appeals to the EAT.

Kieran’s employment law experience includes:

• Representing a Big Four professional services firm in claims for unfair dismissal and race discrimination brought by a former senior manager dismissed for expenses anomalies, and by a graduate trainee for unfair dismissal, disability discrimination, and race discrimination.
• Acting for a school in relation to a claim for indirect religious discrimination relating to paid time off for religious holidays.
• Appearing for a claimant in an appeal in the County Court concerned with enforcement proceedings of an Employment Tribunal award. The appeal concerned a point of statutory interpretation of the Employment Tribunals Act 1996.
• Representing a university press at a preliminary hearing concerning territorial jurisdiction in a claim brought by the former head of its operations in Pakistan.
• Acting for an NGO operating in Lebanon in a claim brought by a Syrian refugee making allegations of race discrimination and philosophical belief discrimination.
• Acting for a care sector client in proceedings brought by a former CQC registered manager for automatic unfair dismissal, whistleblowing detriment, race discrimination, and victimisation.
• Appearing for the Claimant (a teacher) in an application for interim relief in the Employment Tribunal in a claim for automatically unfair dismissal for making protected disclosures.

As well as claims in the Employment Tribunal, Kieran has a particular interest in wider professional discipline and regulatory matters, and claims relating to trade unions and their members.

Kieran is regularly instructed in business protection matters and matters in the civil courts following issues arising upon termination of employment. Recent experience includes:

• Advising a PR firm during the immediate aftermath of a senior employee’s departure where questions of breach of restrictive covenants, directors’ duties, and breach of confidence were in issue. The parties reached a settlement shortly after service of draft Particulars of Claim.
• Advising a former CEO in relation to entitlements under a settlement agreement following the termination of their employment.
• Advising as to the enforceability of restrictive covenants in the talent management sector.
• Advising a former senior employee of a luxury fashion brand in relation to entitlements under various long-term incentive plans.
• Drafting a Defence and Counterclaim in relation to post-retirement benefits owed to a former senior employee of a trade union.

Kieran is co-author of a chapter of Bloomsbury Professional’s Termination of Employment, focusing on protection of business interests on termination of employment.

In addition to his work on employment matters, Kieran is often instructed in discrimination matters being pursued in the civil courts under Equality Act 2010. Recent experience in this area includes:

• Acting for a clergyman in a County Court claim brought by a transgender parishioner for gender reassignment discrimination in the provision of services.
• Drafting a Defence for a company in a County Court claim under the Equality Act 2010 and Protection from Harassment Act 1997, alleging sexual harassment by a company employee and victimisation by the company itself.

Kieran graduated from the University of Cambridge in 2014 with First Class Honours in Law. Following this, he spent a year working at the Law Commission conducting research into and contributing to policy development in property law reform.

Education:

2016     Bar Professional Training Course: Outstanding (ranked second in a year of 335).

2014     BA (Hons) Law, University of Cambridge (Jesus College): First Class Honours.

2011     Visiting Studentship in Liberal Arts, Hamilton College (Clinton, NY).

Scholarships and Prizes

• Runner-up, James Hunt Prize for Advocacy, Gray’s Inn, 2017.
• Scarman Scholarship, The City Law School, 2016.
• Bedingfield Scholarship and Residential Scholarship, Gray’s Inn, 2015.
• Glanville Williams Prize for Part II Law, Jesus College, Cambridge, 2014.
• Hogan Lovells Prizes for Part IA & Part IB Law, Jesus College, Cambridge, 2012 & 2013.
• Foundation Scholarship, Jesus College, Cambridge, 2012-2014.
• Benefactor’s (2004) Prize, Jesus College, Cambridge, 2012.