Oliver Williamson

Call 2008

Oliver Williamson | Call 2008

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Overview

Oliver has a developing employment law practice. Oliver’s interest in employment work relates particularly to the Medical and Police fields and Oliver has an interest in the overlap between employment law and disciplinary matters. He has appeared before Employment Tribunals on matters including unfair dismissal and discrimination. Oliver has a particular interest in contractual matters.

Employment

“Very impressive, he works hard at all hours, gives very careful consideration to documents and is a wonderful tactician. He is approachable, has a good eye for detail and thinks outside the box.”
Chambers & Partners

Oliver appears for the Appropriate Authority in police misconduct proceedings concerning allegations of sexual harassment made by female Detective constables and sergeants against a Detective Inspector.
Click here for press coverage.

Cases & work of note

Edwards v Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust [2010] EWCA Civ 571; [2010] 3 WLR 1285; [2010] All ER (D) 247 (May).  Junior Counsel representing Mr Edwards: successful appeal to the Court of Appeal from the High Court on the issue of employee entitlement to contractual damages for breach of disciplinary procedures.

Edwards v Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust; Botham v Ministry of Defence [2011] UKSC 58; [2012] 2 WLR 55; [2012] 2 All ER 278; [2012] 2 AC 22.  Case concerning the extent to which the statutory unfair dismissal regime displaces a common law cause of action.  By a majority (Lord Kerr, Lord Wilson and Lady Hale dissenting), the Court allowed both appeals.  The seven Supreme Court Justices came to three different conclusions as to how the appeals should be determined.  The majority held that it was necessary to infer from the statutory background that (unless otherwise agreed) breach of a contractual disciplinary procedure would not give rise to a claim for common law damages.  Oliver was Junior Counsel representing Mr Edwards.