Georgina Churchhouse

For details of Georgina’s High Court Bonus, Employee Competition and Business Protection Practice, please see the separate tab.

Georgina has built a thriving statutory trial, appellate, drafting and advisory employment & discrimination practice and enjoys repeat instructions from loyal clients at tier 1 Claimant, Senior Executive and Respondent employment firms. She acts in novel, complex and high value litigation at first instance and on appeal.

She is an experienced trial and appellate advocate and has appeared unled in over 40 employment & discrimination trials up to 4 weeks in length, on five occasions unled in the EAT and twice led in the Court of Appeal in precedent setting litigation that has shaped employment law.

She acts for Claimants, Senior Executives and Respondents across a range of sectors, in the full spectrum of individual, collective, commercial and international employment law as well as discrimination law in employment education, goods and services and sports disputes.

• In her statutory practice, Georgina has a growing expertise acting for FCA/PRA regulated clients working in the financial services, investment banking, private equity, asset management and brokerage sectors having represented both Senior Executives and Respondents in claims brought against Deutsche Bank, Royal Bank of Canada, Credit Suisse, Visa, Man Group, Santander, Tradition, Advent International, Investcorp International, JP Morgan, ICG, Rothschild, Citigroup, Quilter, EFG Private Bank, Esmo Asset Management, the Blackstone Group and HSBC.
• Within whistleblowing law, she has acted for a number of FCA/PRA regulated clients, and acts in cases where there have been allegations of breach conduct rules alongside more recently environmental whistleblowing cases involving greenwashing in breach of the FCA’s consumer duty. She is presently instructed on a number of cases considering the scope of protection under the Employment Rights Act for in house legal counsel and the law of privilege. She has spoken on this topic with Jeremy Lewis KC for ELA, and more broadly on Whistleblowing in the financial services sector with Niran de Silva KC, strike out of Whistleblowing claims with Daniel Tatton-Brown KC, and attribution in whistleblowing Dismissal and Detriment claims with Jeremy Lewis KC.
• Within discrimination law, her practice is increasingly focused on pregnancy and maternity and family friendly rights, sex, equal pay, disability and philosophical and religious belief cases. She has spoken on pregnancy and maternity discrimination for ELA.
• Within remuneration disputes, she is currently instructed in number of high value bonus and deferred compensation disputes for Senior Executives and Respondent clients working in the Investment Banking, Asset Management and Private Equity Sectors. She is familiar acting for clients with complex remuneration structures including carried interest, deferred compensation, shareholding and equity stakes. She recently spoke on Bonus Disputes at the Littleton Annual Employment Day.
• Within trade union and collective labour law disputes she is instructed in a number of trade union detriment claims and accepts instructions in trade union recognition claims and as junior counsel in strike action litigation. She recently spoke on trade union recognition and strike action claims with David Reade KC. She recently co-authored an article with David Reade KC on the implications of the Supreme Court’s decision in Mercer for Lexis Nexis.
• Within jurisdiction disputes she has assisted a number of peripatetic and expatriate employees in successfully establishing jurisdiction in the employment tribunal.

She is increasingly instructed for clients working in the financial services, private equity, asset management, fintech, insurance, professional services and energy sectors, but has also represented clients in the media, tech, healthcare, higher education, charity, recruitment, sports and civil service sectors.  Her clients strongly benefit from her balanced practice, which is split roughly 50/50 between Claimant/Senior Executive and Respondent work.

A selection of Georgina’s trial, appellate and advisory experience is set out below.

Appellate work

Court of Appeal

Georgina has extensive experience appearing as junior counsel and drafting grounds of appeal, skeleton arguments and costs protection applications in appeals.

• Ibrahim v HCA International Ltd [2019] EWCA Civ 2007 (led by Jeremy Lewis KC). Appeal clarifying the operation of the subjective limb of the public interest test in Chesterton v Nurmohamed [Whistleblowing].
• Gomes v Higher Level Care Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 418 (led). This is the leading case on compensation for breaches of the Working Time Directive and was one of Michael Rubenstein’s top employment cases to watch owing to the case’s significant implications for the protection of workers’ rights. Georgina acted at all stages of proceedings [Working Time].
• Chesterton Global Ltd v Nurmohamed [2017] EWCA Civ 979 (as a judicial assistant). Whistleblowing appeal concerning the public interest test under s43A ERA 1996 [Whistleblowing].
• Interim Executive Board of Al Harij School v Chief Inspector of Education, Children’s Services and Skills [2017] EWCA Civ 1787 (as a judicial assistant). Discrimination appeal concerning the concept of direct mirrored sex discrimination and segregation in schools [Discrimination].
• Brogden v Investec Bank Plc [2016] EWCA Civ 1031 (as a judicial assistant). Breach of contract appeal concerning bankers’ bonuses [Commercial, Breach of Contract].

Employment Appeal Tribunal

Owing to her prior experience as a Law Lecturer and experience working as a Judicial Assistant in the Court of Appeal, Georgina is often instructed as sole counsel to draft grounds of appeal, skeleton arguments and to appear unled in the EAT. Her recent experience includes being:

• Instructed as junior counsel in an EAT appeal in relation to the approach to Polkey assessment to be heard in early 2025 (led by David Reade KC) [Unfair Dismissal – Reason for Dismissal, Polkey].
• Instructed as junior counsel in an EAT appeal to draft written submissions in relation to an appeal concerning rule 50 applications (led by Lydia Banerjee) [Rule 50 anonymity orders].
• South Gloucestershire Council v Hundal [2024] EAT 140Georgina appeared for the successful Respondent in upholding the ET’s findings regarding the s15EqA 2010 claim. The Judgment provides important clarity on the interaction between reasonable adjustments claims and objective justification in discrimination arising from disability claims [Equality Act claims – Disability].
• Successfully representing the Respondent in resisting an application to extend time to lodge an appeal (unled, ongoing) [EAT Procedure].
• Successfully obtaining permission to appeal to the EATin a case concerning the meaning of “related to” under s18 of the Equality Act (unled) [Equality Act Claims – Harassment].
• Jackson v The University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust [2023] EAT 102 (unled) Georgina appeared for the successful appellant in challenging the ET’s findings in respect of their approach to Hogg v Dover dismissals. [Unfair Dismissal – Hogg v Dover College dismissals].
• Wilkinson v DVSA [2022] EAT 23 (unled) Georgina appeared for the successful appellant in challenging the ET’s findings in respect of reductions to the compensatory award for contributory conduct [Unfair Dismissal – Contributory Conduct & Polkey reductions].
• Gomes v Higher Level Care [2016] IRLR 678 (unled). This is the leading case on compensation for breaches of the Working Time Directive and was one of Michael Rubenstein’s top employment cases to watch owing to the case’s significant implications for the protection of workers’ rights [Working Time].

Trials & Tribunal Advocacy

Georgina is regularly instructed as sole counsel in heavy duty multi week whistleblowing and discrimination and Equal pay trials, or complex employment status or jurisdictional disputes, where she acts for both Respondents and Claimants/Senior Executives. She often appears against significantly more senior counsel and has acted unled in trials up to 4 weeks in length.  Examples of her current and recent work acting as sole counsel include:

• Instructed by the Claimant working in the private equity sector to appear in a 3-week pregnancy and maternity and disability trial (settled prior to trial, led by Daniel Tatton-Brown KC) [Equality Act claims – Pregnancy and Maternity and Disability and MAPLE].
• Successfully appearing unled in the Employment Tribunal in a 4-week disability, race and religious discrimination, failure to make reasonable adjustments, harassment and victimisation trial, acting for the Respondent, a National Charity [Equality Act claims – Disability, Religion and Race].
• Successfully appearing unled in the Employment Tribunal in a 7-daydirect race discrimination and harassment trial, acting for the Respondent brokerage house operating in the financial services sector. The Claimant made a drop hands settlement following Georgina’s cross examination. The Tribunal went on to make specific findings that the Claimant had been not been truthful and awarded the Respondent’s costs. [Equality Act claims – Race].
• Instructed by the Respondent Investment Bank to appear in a 5-day disability discrimination trial, settled prior to trial (unled) [Equality Act Claims – Disability].
• Instructed by the Respondent Bank in a 4-day disability discrimination case where the Claimant is seeking re-engagement and/or reinstatement [Equality Act Claims – Disability, Reinstatement, Re-engagement].
• Instructed by the Respondent Asset Management Company in defending a claim for deferred compensation payments (unled, settled at JM prior to trial) [Bonus & Unlawful Deductions]
• Instructed by the Claimant working in the Fintech sector in a trial concerning a 7-figure claim for commission payments following termination of his employment (unled, ongoing) [Bonus & Unlawful Deductions].
• Acting in a 4-week case on joint employment in the context of Equality Act and MAPLE 1999 claims (unled, ongoing) [MAPLE, Equality Act claims].
• Acting in a 2-week complex disability discrimination case for an Analyst working for a well known Investment Bank (unled, ongoing) [Equality Act claims – Disability].
• Drafting and Acting in a complex 2-week disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments claim for a Senior Executive working in the financial services involving amongst other consideration on the effect on their bonus and equity stake (unled) [Disability, Bonus].
• Successfully acting in a complex and high value 7-day automatic unfair dismissal, whistleblowing detriment and unlawful deductions case for the Claimant, a senior in house counsel (unled) [Whistleblowing, unlawful deductions].
• Successfully acting for the Claimant, a peripatetic worker operating in the security services and based in Afghanistan in seeking to establish Jurisdiction in the Employment Tribunal to bring a claim of unfair dismissal [Jurisdiction].

Drafting & Advisory

Georgina is regularly instructed to draft statements of case and grounds of appeal in all manner of statutory employment and discrimination disputes, as well as being instructed to advise on the merits of claims and appeals at a later stage.  Examples of her current and recent work include being:

• Acting for an Investment Banker in a whistleblowing, disability discrimination and unlawful deduction from wages claim in the Employment Tribunal led by Jeremy Lewis KC [Whistleblowing, Equality Act claims – Disability].
• Acting for an Equity Partner at a Law Firm in a claims under the Equality Act subsequent to decisions to remove the Claimant from equity partnership at the LLP and trigger involuntary retirement from the LLP (led by Jeremy Callman) [LLPs, Equality Act claims].
• Acting for a UK and US LLP in defending a claim brought by a former equity partner at a Law firm for sex discrimination, harassment related to sex, victimisation and equal pay (unled) [LLPs, Equality Act claims – Disability].
• Acting for a Private Equity Company in defending a claim for disability discrimination (unled) [Equality Act claims – Victimisation].
• Drafting a response to a claim for trade union detriment, victimisation, and whistleblowing detriment for a West End Theatre Production Company [Trade Union Detriment, Whistleblowing, Equality Act claims – Disability].
• Drafting Grounds of Complaint for a Senior Executive working in the private equity sector in an 8- figure pregnancy and maternity discrimination, failure to make reasonable adjustments, direct sex discrimination, direct disability discrimination, harassment related to disability and automatic and ordinary unfair dismissal claim (unled) [Equality Act – Pregnancy and Maternity and Disability and MAPLE claims].
• Drafting and acting in an 8-figure sex and age discrimination and victimisation claim for a Senior Executive working in the investment banking sector (settled prior to trial) (led by Adam Solomon KC and Daniel Tatton-Brown KC) [Equality Act claims – Sex and Age].
• Drafting and acting in a philosophical belief discrimination and harassment case subsequent to the removal of a Director from a Company following a series of Tweets (led by David Reade KC)[Equality Act claims – Philosophical Belief, Human Rights Act].
• Drafting a Defence in an acrimonious philosophical and religious belief case concerning gender critical beliefs (unled) [Religious & Philosophical Belief].
• Drafting Grounds of Complaint for a senior executive working in the financial services sector in a 7-figure whistleblowing detriment claim (unled) [Whistleblowing]
• Drafting Grounds of Complaint for a Senior Executive working in the financial services sector in a 7-figure whistleblowing detriment, failure to make reasonable adjustments, direct disability discrimination and harassment related to disability claim (unled) [Whistleblowing, Equality Act claims – Disability].
• Drafting Grounds of Complaint for a Senior Executive working in the financial services sector in direct sex and race discrimination, harassment related to sex, race and disability, victimisation and s188 & 189 TULR(C)A 1992 claim [Equality Act claims – Sex, Race and Disability, Collective Consultation].
• Drafting and Acting in a complex 2-week disability discrimination and failure to make reasonable adjustments claim for a Senior Executive working in the financial services involving amongst other consideration on the effect on their bonus and equity stake (unled) [Disability, Bonus].
• Drafting a complex equal pay, pregnancy and maternity and sex discrimination claim, for a Senior Executive working for a well-known Investment Bank (unled, settled prior to trial) [Equality Act claims and MAPLE – Sex, Pregnancy and Maternity and Equal Pay].
• Drafting a complex Pregnancy and Maternity discrimination claim, for a Senior Executive working in the Private Equity sector (unled) [Equality Act claims – Pregnancy and Maternity, and MAPLE].
• Acting for an Associate Director working for a well-known Investment Bank in a complex equal pay, pregnancy and maternity and sex discrimination claim (unled, ongoing) [Equality Act claims and MAPLE – Sex, Pregnancy and Maternity and Equal Pay].
• Drafting a complex Pregnancy, Maternity and sex discrimination, harassment and victimisation claim for the Head of Marketing working for a leading global fashion brand unled, settled prior to trial) [Equality Act claims Pregnancy and Maternity and MAPLE].
• Advising an employee in a Fintech Company on a 7-figure claim for commission payments following termination of his employment (unled) [Bonus & Unlawful Deductions].
• Drafting a response to a claim for deferred compensation payments on behalf of an Asset Management Company (unled) [Bonus & Unlawful Deductions].
• Drafting and acting for an investment fund in an employment status, sex and sexual harassment, sex discrimination, victimisation and whistleblowing claim [Equality Act claims – Sex and Sexual Harassment, Victimisation and Whistleblowing, Employment Status].
• Instructed to advise a Trade Union on the rights of its members during the COVID-19 crisis [Constructive Unfair Dismissal, Health & Safety Whistleblowing, Detriment, Unlawful Deductions, Interim Relief].
• Instructed to advise a Government Department on the entitlement of transgender men to pregnancy and maternity benefits [Human Rights Act 1998, EU retained law, SSCBA 1992].

Georgina acts for both Senior Executives and Employers in the full range of commercial employment and business protection matters, including bonus and other contractual disputes, restrictive covenant disputes, team moves and disputes concerning breach of directors’ duties, fiduciary duties, duties of confidence, database rights and injunctions. She welcomes instructions as either sole counsel or led by more senior counsel in England, Wales and the DIFC. She recently spoke on litigating infringement of database rights with Jeremy Lewis KC at the Littleton Annual Employment Seminar.

Examples of her recent instructions include:

• Acting led by Edward Kemp KC in the DIFC Courts in  David Lee Rapp and Prime Energy Markets FZCO v Ahria Esphandiar Roushanbakhti and Axis Limited, CFI-017-2026, for the Individual Defendant and the new employer of a departing employee in relation to alleged breach of non-compete, non-solicitation, non-dealing and confidentiality covenants, misuse of confidential information in employment and alleged shareholder agreements and unlawful inducement claims. Assisted in successfully defeating an interim injunction [DIFC, Business Protection, Restrictive Covenants, Confidentiality, Unlawful Inducement].
• An FCA regulated payment provider v another payment provider and former employee KB- 2026-00458 (led by Daniel Tatton Brown KC)Acting for the individual Defendant and new employer of a departing employee in a High Court claim in relation to alleged breach of non-compete and confidentiality covenants, misuse of confidential information and unlawful inducement brought by a FCA regulated payment provider [Breach of Restrictive Covenants, Unlawful Inducement, Confidentiality].
• A wealth management firm v. an IFA (2025-2026) (led by John Mehrzad KC). Acting for the Claimant wealth management firm in a High Court claim involving breach of non-solicitation and non-dealing covenants in a former IFA’s employment contract seeking injunctive relief and damages. The case raised an interesting point of law about the interpretation of restrictive covenants subsequent to a TUPE transfer. [Breach of Restrictive Covenants].
• A wealth management firm v. an IFA (2025 onwards) (led by John Mehrzad KC). Acting for the Claimant wealth management firm in a High Court claim involving breach of non-solicitation and non-dealing covenants in a former IFA’s employment contract seeking injunctive relief and damages (ongoing). [Breach of Restrictive Covenants].
• Acting unled in a High Court claim for a final injunction, damages/an account of profits in a breach of confidentiality, breach of restrictive covenant, unlawful inducement and unlawful means conspiracy claim against a former employee and his new employer and individual co-defendants. [Confidential Information, Breach of Restrictive Covenants, Inducement, Unlawful Means Conspiracy].
• White Swan Data Limited v Sierra BL-2025-000077 (unled, before Mr Justice Trower) Acting for a data analytics company in a High Court claim for injunctive relief and damages in a breach of confidentiality and breach of database rights claim against a former employee. Successfully obtained interim relief including delivery up of confidential information, imaging orders and orders for the provision of affidavit evidence [Database Rights, Trade Secrets, Confidential Information, Breach of Restrictive Covenants].
• Vanilla Electronics v Vital Electronics Limited and others QB-2022-002347 (led by Jeremy Lewis KC) Acting for a number of Defendants in an alleged “team move” and breach of restrictive covenants case (settled before trial) [Confidential Information, Breach of Restrictive Covenants, Fiduciary Duties, Inducement, Unlawful Means Conspiracy].
• Acting for a wealth management firm, drafting a 7-figure claim in the High Court for injunctive relief and damages in a breach of breach of restrictive covenant, confidentiality, fraudulent and negligent misrepresentation and negligent misstatement at common law, following an employee’s move to a competitor company (unled, settled before trial) [Confidential Information, Breach of Restrictive Covenant, Fraudulent and Negligent Misrepresentation, Negligent Misstatement]
• Numerous letters before action, advices on the merits, pleadings, and written applications/responses to applications for injunctive relief, in claims for breach of restrictive covenant, misuse of confidential information, breach of fiduciary duties, unlawful means conspiracy, inducement and breach of the database right in the data analytics, recruitment, advertising, tech, music and talent management sectors (unled).
• Acting on behalf of a tech company defending a claim for a 500k contractual redundancy payment in the High Court (unled). [Contractual Redundancy Payments]
• Acting for an Investment Banker in resisting bonus clawback (unled). [Bonus Disputes].
• Whilst a Judicial Assistant in the Court of Appeal she worked on Brogden v Investec Bank Plc [2016] EWCA Civ 1031, an appeal concerning the interpretation of contractual bonus provisions [Bonus Disputes].

Georgina accepts instructions to act led in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) in employment and business protection/employee competition disputes. Georgina is Part II registered.

• A proprietary trading firm v a liquidity provider  (led by Edward Kemp KC) – Acting for the Individual Defendant and the new employer of a departing employee in a DIFC dispute in relation to alleged breach of non-compete, non-solicitation, non-dealing and confidentiality covenants, misuse of confidential information, fiduciary duties and unlawful inducement. Assisted in successfully defeating an interim injunction. [Injunctions, Breach of Restrictive Covenants, Confidentiality, Unlawful Inducement].

As an adjunct to her commercial employment & business protection and employment & discrimination practice, Georgina accepts instructions in Partnership & LLP disputes, and welcomes instructions to undertake drafting, advisory and research work or to act as a junior as part of a litigation team in large scale litigation.

Current and recent instructions include:

• Acting for an Equity Partner at a Law Firm in claims arising from decisions to remove the Claimant from equity partnership at the LLP and to trigger involuntary retirement from the LLP (led by Jeremy Callman)[LLPs, Equality Act claims – Disability].
• Acting for a UK and US LLP in defending a claim brought by a former Equity Partner at a law firm for sex discrimination, harassment related to sex, victimisation and equal pay (unled) [LLPs, Equality Act claims].
• Drafting a response on behalf of the Respondent LLP to a claim for unlawful deductions from wages from a former Equity Partner following his voluntary retirement (unled).
• Drafting a response on behalf of the Respondent LLP to a claim for direct sex discrimination and victimisation from a former Partner in a law firm (devilling).

In line with her practice acting for Senior Executives and in Business Protection Litigation involving breach of fiduciary duties, Georgina accepts instructions in Company Law disputes with an employment and business protection cross over.

• Acting for a CEO of a Company ousted from being a Director and Shareholder of the Company and their employment under a Director Service Agreement in discrimination and victimisation proceedings in the Employment Tribunal (unled). [Equality Act claims – Discrimination and Victimisation]
• A proprietary trading firm v a liquidity provider  (led by Edward Kemp KC) Acting for the Individual Defendant, an alleged former director and shareholder, and the new employer of the same in a DIFC dispute in relation to alleged breach of non-compete, non-solicitation, non-dealing and confidentiality covenants, misuse of confidential information, fiduciary duties and unlawful inducement. Assisted in successfully defeating an interim injunction. [Injunctions, Breach of Restrictive Covenants, Confidentiality, Unlawful Inducement].

In line with her employment, discrimination and business protection practice Georgina accepts instructions in sports law litigation touching on these issues. Given her experience dealing with highly charged and sensitive senior executive disputes in the Employment Tribunal, she is well placed to act as a junior in Club/Manager disputes in football and in light of her business protection practice, to act as a junior in confidential information and team move disputes in the F1 sector and database rights claims in the online sports betting sector.

Georgina has presented a talk at the Littleton Annual Employment Extravaganza on Database Rights Claims with Jeremy Lewis KC, and has recently co-authored an article with Steven Flynn on the impact of the Employment Rights Act on Employment Disputes in Football for LawInSport. She recently spoke on the impact of the ODSE regime in the Football Governance Act on whistleblowing claims in the Football and the regulation of non-financial misconduct in this area.

She has experience acting for clients in the Football and online sports betting sectors.

• White Swan Data Limited v Sierra BL-2025-000077 (unled, before Mr Justice Trower) Acting for a data analytics company in the sports betting sector a High Court claim for injunctive relief and damages in a breach of confidentiality and breach of database rights claim against a former employee. Successfully obtained interim relief including delivery up of confidential information, imaging orders and orders for the provision of affidavit evidence [Database Rights, Trade Secrets, Confidential Information, Breach of Restrictive Covenants].
• Securing strike out of one of Mr Bansal-McNulty’s claims for victimisation against Crawley Town Football Club [Equality Act claims – Victimisation].
• Instructed in a 7- day employee and worker status, whistleblowing dismissal and detriment and direct sex discrimination claim, acting for the Claimant Rugby Coach (settled prior to trial) [Employment Status, Whistleblowing, Equality Act claims – Sex].
• Instructed in a 2-day preliminary hearing in respect of employee and worker status, acting for the Claimant tennis coach (settled prior to trial) [Employment Status].
• Prior to joining the Bar Georgina assisted an employee of an International & Premier League Footballer in an employment dispute, where she successfully obtained full quantum at the pre-action stage of proceedings in a breach of contract claim [Breach of contract, unlawful deductions].

Georgina has a particular interest and expertise in EU & human rights law and enjoys applying EU and human rights law to her core areas of practice to find novel remedies for her clients. Her employment cases have been reported in the Common Market Law Review and she was recently awarded the Phoenicia Scholarship by the Bar European Group.

She has a strong grasp of human rights law having taken specialist options in civil liberties and international human rights in her LLM at Cambridge University and having undertaken a stage at the ECtHR. Before coming to the Bar, she was Visiting Lecturer in public law at King’s College London and Teaching Fellow in public administrative law at Queen Mary University. As a Judicial Assistant in the Court of Appeal she also wrote opinions on a number of appeals involving points of EU law and human rights law.

As such Georgina is well placed to act in cases requiring an understanding of European and human rights law.

She has recently advised or acted in the following cases in her areas of practice:

• Instructed as junior counsel in an EAT appeal to draft written submissions in relation to an appeal concerning rule 50 applications (led by Lydia Banerjee) [Rule 50 anonymity orders].
• Drafting and acting in a philosophical belief discrimination and harassment case subsequent to the removal of a Director from a Company following a series of Tweets (led by David Reade KC) [Equality Act claims – Philosophical Belief, Human Rights Act].
• Instructed to advise a Government Department on the entitlement of transgender men to pregnancy and maternity benefits (sole counsel) [Human Rights Act 1998, EU retained law, Pregnancy and Maternity Benefits, SSCBA 1992].
• Gomes v Higher Level Care Ltd [2018] EWCA Civ 418 (led) and Gomes v Higher Level Care [2016] IRLR 678 (unled). This is the leading case on compensation for breaches of the Working Time Directive and was one of Michael Rubenstein’s top employment cases to watch owing to the case’s significant implications for the protection of workers’ rights. Georgina acted at all stages of proceedings [Working Time, Principles of Effectiveness and Equivalence].