Grahame has acted in a broad range of Tribunal, County Court and High Court employment cases, and has experience of judicial mediation. He regularly acts for Claimants and Respondents. Recent highlights have included:
Acting, led by Gavin Mansfield QC, in the High Court in a major covenants and confidential information dispute involving leading City insurance brokerages;
- Acting unled for a City law firm in a highly sensitive disability discrimination claim; the case involved significant reputational risk and Grahame was able to secure anonymisation for all parties;
- Being led by David Reade QC in a very high value covenants and confidential information case involving major players in the global fashion industry;
- Success in the EAT in a case concerning the test for implying a term through custom and practice and subsequent victory on remittal before the same Tribunal;
- Successfully representing a foreign doctor, based in London, in a claim against his former employer. The case threw up complicated legal issues about illegality, visa status and the effect of Patel v Mirza in the employment context. Grahame’s client was reinstated;
- Being led by Edward Kemp in a major international whistleblowing claim currently awaiting judgment from the Court of Appeal; the case involves difficult issues of territorial jurisdiction and of the territorial scope of whistleblowing protections in the context of the European Convention on Human Rights;
- Acting for the owners of a yacht in a contractual and discrimination claim brought by its former captain, involving thorny issues of territorial jurisdiction;
- Acting for the former Managing Director of a multi-billion dollar IT services firm in a major whistleblowing claim.
- Successfully representing a senior engineer in his constructive dismissal claim against a major luxury car manufacturer;
- Being led by David Reade QC in a matter concerning the employment rights of people trafficked into the UK; the case is now on appeal to the EAT;
- Representing the successful Claimant in a multi-day disability discrimination claim against a Local Authority; the Claimant was unable to attend the hearing to give evidence, but Grahame was nevertheless able to secure victory;
- Being led by Gavin Mansfield QC in the Court of Appeal and Employment Appeal Tribunal in a long-running case that deals with discrimination law pre-Equality Act, statutory grievance procedures important points about issue estoppel in Employment Tribunals.
Grahame has been involved in drafting and advising across a range of commercial cases including:
- Acting, led by Sam Neaman, for a French liquidateur judiciare in a long running international commercial dispute in the High Court, concerning the lifting of a stay imposed by Tomlin Order for breach of the confidential terms appended to it;
- Grahame succeeded in striking out a Claimant in a widely reported Supply of Goods Act claim
- Grahame succeeded in striking out the Defendant, a mortgage advisor and broker, in a complex contract dispute that had involved seven hearings prior to Grahame’s instruction
- Appearing as sole counsel for the Respondent in an injunction application. The application was to restrain the bringing of a winding-up petition. Grahame obtained indemnity costs for the successful Respondent
- Representing both claimants and defendants in a number of cases involving breach of contract in the context of employment agencies/executive search firms. Much of this work was focussed on the legal and global financial recruitment markets
- Advising a cosmetics distributor on methods under the Companies Act of effecting the removal of a shareholder/director guilty of misconduct
Grahame is Deputy Head of the Littleton Sports Group. He has particular expertise in regulatory and doping matters, and in litigation involving player and agent contracts. Grahame is a member of Sport Resolutions’ panel of arbitrators.
Grahame speaks and writes regularly on important sports law topics.
Recent highlights from Grahame’s sports practice have included:
- Acting for a premiership and England star in a claim brought by a former agent;
- Acting for a major Cypriot agent in CAS agency-player dispute;
- Acting for a former premiership physio in a claim against his former club;
- Grahame has acted for a number of the major sports agencies in Rule K litigation against players who have defaulted on contractual obligations in agency mandates;
- Acting for a rugby player accused of a doping violation;
- Advising a national youth sport charity on safeguarding issues and drafting their safeguarding disciplinary policy.
- Grahame acted for a swimmer in a funding selection dispute in the run up to Rio 2016; he was led by Jeremy Lewis.
- During pupillage, he was involved in defending a claim against a former premiership star brought by a major European club.
Grahame sits regularly as an arbitrator in the sports world, individually (most often appointed by sporting bodies to determine internal disputes) or as part of a panel. In 2018, Grahame was appointed to the Sport Resolutions’ panel of arbitrators in a number of specialist sports fields.
As counsel, Grahame welcomes instructions unled or as part of a larger legal team, as well as instructions for the role of arbitral secretary.
A significant proportion of Grahame’s sport and commercial practice is devoted to arbitral work.
- Grahame has particular experience of FA rule K arbitration;
- Grahame has acted in and advised on a number of ad hoc sports arbitrations, especially in doping and selection and funding disputes. Many of Grahame’s cases have involved complex questions of arbitrability
- Grahame has acted in the role of arbitral secretary in a high value partnership dispute, a CIArb appointment
- International arbitration and private international law were a special focus of study in Grahame’s post-graduate degree in Paris.
- Middle Temple, Baron Dr Van Heyden de Lancey Prize for best performance on the Bar course;
- Middle Temple, Queen Mother’s Scholarship;
- Trinity Chambers Prize for best overall performance on Bar course;
- Northumbria University, Dean’s Scholarship;
Languages: Grahame speaks fluent French, and intermediate Japanese.
