Paul Gilroy KC

Paul Gilroy has extensive High Court experience, with a particular emphasis in the following areas:

• Disputes relating to unlawful competition involving executive departures, team moves, restrictive covenants, garden leave, confidential information, applications for injunctive relief (including springboard relief and search order applications), pre-action disclosure and speedy trials.
• Disputes concerning deferred remuneration, bonuses (including ‘discretionary’ bonuses), share options, deferred remuneration and other employment benefits.
• High value wrongful dismissal claims including breach of fiduciary duty.
• Disputes in relation to liquidated damages and penalty clauses.
• Pursuing and defending actions for declaratory relief (eg trade unions v corporations).
• High Court proceedings concerning trade unions including applications for injunctive relief to restrain strike action.
• Class actions including claims concerning the incorporation of the terms of collective agreements into individual contracts of employment.
• Non-contentious work including drafting restrictive covenants and other service agreement restrictions.
• Sectors covered include banking and financial services, sport, media, national and local government, retail and technology.

Paul Gilroy is a specialist Employment Tribunal practitioner who is instructed in cases of the greatest value, complexity and sensitivity. His Tribunal practice spans the full range of workplaces, from local and central government, the NHS, commerce and industry to the professions and academia.

Appointments

• Part-time Judge of Employment Tribunals (appointed 2000).

Notable recent work

Lopez-Bondi v Lascaux. High 6 figure victimisation and harassment claim for hedge fund recruiter.

Acting for senior employee of Manchester United in claim for age discrimination.

Acting for substantial public authority defending multiple (c. 130) claims of unlawful inducement contrary to s.145B of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.

Acting for senior RAF officer in high 6 figure claim against the RAF for victimisation arising from  enforced application of recruitment quotas.

Acting for high profile national retailer defending 7 figure claim of whistleblowing, disability discrimination, harassment and victimisation.

Whistleblowing

Paul Gilroy has extensive experience of whistleblowing detriment and dismissal cases, having dealt with many whistleblowing cases from the very inception of the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, his involvement ranging from pre-emptive advice to providing strategic advice and acting at first instance and on appeal for employers and employees and investigating and dealing with whistleblowing complaints for a wide range of employers from large corporations to universities and NHS Trusts.

Paul Gilroy has considerable experience in the trade union field, with particular expertise in the following areas:

• Industrial action, including cradle to grave strategic advice, and applying for and resisting applications for interim  and final injunctive relief.
• Advising on and conducting protective award applications (TULRA and TUPE).
• Proceedings before the Central Arbitration Committee (CAC), including strategic advice on the process, drafting, and appearing before Panels on matters such as the appropriateness of the bargaining unit and substantive applications for recognition.
• Advising proactively and reactively in relation to Kostal claims of unlawful inducement to frustrate collective bargaining.
• Advising on constitutional matters relating to trade unions, including the creation and setting up of a trade union.
• Trade union detriment claims.
• Acting for and against trade unions in collective employment disputes and claims with precedent value for individuals and workforces.

Paul Gilroy is renowned for his sports law practice, covering advisory work, litigation and all regulatory aspects of sport.

Shortlisted by Legal 500 as Sport Silk of the Year in 2024 and 2025.

His experience covers football, rugby union, rugby league, cricket, tennis, cycling, boxing, motorsport, athletics, weightlifting, gymnastics, and table tennis. He has extensive experience of issues relating to selection/non-selection, anti-doping and safeguarding in sport.

He has advised and acted for a stellar list of clients from the world of domestic and international football.

He has a particular interest in sports-related litigation and regulatory matters, both domestically and internationally before the Court of Arbitration for Sport. His work in sport has a particular emphasis on football: FA Rule K, English Football League Regulation 9 Arbitration, and proceedings before the Professional Football Compensation Committee (PFCC).

He has the most appearances as Counsel before the FA Premier League Managers Arbitration Tribunal (7).

Appointments

In addition to sitting as a part time Judge of Employment Tribunals (appointed 2000), Paul Gilroy KC holds the following sports law appointments:

Legal arbitrator for Sport Resolutions UK

Member of Athlete selection & eligibility, Commercial, Employment and discrimination, Football, Integrity & discipline, and Paralympic and disability thematic arbitration panels of Sport Resolutions UK

Notable recent work

• Advising Martin O’Neill on appointment as Head Coach of Celtic FC.
• Advising Danny Röhl on appointment as Head Coach of Rangers FC.
• Advising Steve Clarke on renewal of appointment as Head Coach of Scotland national football team.
• Acting for leading national 8 ball pool organisation on claim airing from participation of transgender players in the sport of pool.
• Called as an expert witness on English law In appeal proceedings before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in connection with the abortive transfer of Emiliano Sala (Cardiff City FC v FC Nantes) (2023).
• Acting for senior employee of Manchester United in claim for age discrimination.
• Ms Z. Independent investigation on behalf of British Parasnowsport and UK Sport into complaints of bullying and harassment made by a para athlete.
• Advising Premier League player on internal club disciplinary proceedings.
• UK Motorsport v Orange Racing. Appearing for British GT Championship team before Motorsport UK National Courtin appeal against race disqualification for breach of parc fermé regulations.
• Advising CEO of Premier League club re: employment issues and negotiating exit terms.
• Advising Technical Director of F1 team on terms of appointment.

Paul Gilroy has wide-ranging regulatory experience, advising in relation to, acting in and conducting hearings in particular for Universities and sports bodies and in the NHS.

He has particular expertise in the conduct of Interim Orders and Fitness to Practise Panels before the GMC.

Notable cases

• Instructed on behalf of senior officer of County Council to appear at appeal against his dismissal for gross misconduct.
• Prosecuted senior police officers for corruption under the Police (Conduct) Regulations in internal proceedings conducted by their force.
• Appointed by NHS Trust to chair Gross Misconduct proceedings against Consultant Obstetrician and Gynaecologist.
• Successfully defended Postgraduate Dean before a Panel of the Academic Senate of a University on 50 charges of bullying and harassment.
• Appointed by University Vice Chancellor to chair five separate panels to determine grievances and grievance appeals brought by senior academics.
• Instructed to obtain injunctive relief to restrain the taking of disciplinary action against a Senior Consultant.
• Represented GP charged in GMC proceedings with serious professional misconduct following acquittal of serious sexual offences.
• Numerous cases (in various contexts) involving the application of Maintaining High Professional Standards in the Modern NHS (“MHPS”) and similar.
• Conducted independent investigation on behalf of a sports governing body into alleged wrongdoing which had led to withdrawal of public funding.

Paul Gilroy has also been instructed in high profile public inquiries (Ashworth Hospital and Harold Shipman).