Ranked for a number of years by Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as a leading employment practitioner, Dale’s practice encompasses injunctions, restrictive covenant and confidential information disputes, bonuses, fiduciary duties, shareholder disputes, contractual disputes, statutory claims including discrimination, whistleblowing and unfair dismissal, TUPE, trade union litigation, internal investigations and mediation/ADR. He also specialises in class-action litigation in the fields of equal pay and working time.
“Dale is highly effective and a pleasure to work with. Dale combines his great intelligence and command of the law with hard work and ensuring he is on top of the detail.” Chambers & Partners 2026
“Dale Martin is first class. His advocacy is extremely good.” Chambers & Partners 2026
“Dale is an excellent strategian. He doesn’t shy away from tackling tricky issues and not giving up on a point. He is very determined and feisty.” Chambers & Partners 2026
“Dale is the complete package: tenacious, empathetic, in control of very factual detail, encyclopedic knowledge of the law.” Legal 500 2026
“Dale is superb tactically and is very commercial and proactive.” Chambers & Partners 2025
“Dale possesses a razor-sharp intellect.” Chambers & Partners 2025
“Dale has an astute legal mind with a meticulous eye for detail. He manages intricate proceedings with command and finesse. He is unflappable in litigious proceedings.” Legal 500 2025
“Dale is well considered and unflappable, and he presents his cases clearly and concisely.” Legal 500 2025
Recent Work (2025/6)
Business Protection
Appearing in and advising on numerous multi-party/business protection injunctive proceedings and related damages claims. Examples of work carried out in 2025 and 2026 include:
- Defending a highly complex £7m Commercial Court claim (leading Alex Francis) arising out of an alleged breach of a share purchase agreement (SPA), fiduciary duties, restrictive covenants and employment obligations by a former CEO who sold his financial advice business for £19m. Claimant alleges stealing of clients, in particular under two financial services appointed representative agreements – and poaching of staff to service those clients. Claimant also seeks rescission of the agreement and an extensive injunction based on covenants in the SPA and employment contract. Very high value, very paper heavy, very factually and legal complicated. An excellent example of Dale’s high-level company/employment/injunction cross-over work. Trial 2027 (2025-ongoing)
- Instructed to defend an injunction application issued in the Chancery Division (leading Blathnaid Breslin) on behalf of a partner resisting exclusion by four other partners from a c.£70m family farming business. Involved complex submissions on the interrelation between the rights and obligations of partners arising out of the Partnership Act 1890/the Partnership Agreement and the fiduciary duties owed as directors to a related service company. It also required, at very short notice, a mastery and deployment of a detailed and lengthy factual chronology of events. Dale was successful in his application for a mandatory injunction to secure his client’s place in the business and to prevent exclusion. Very complex submissions on various aspects of employment law and mandatory injunction orders/the balance of convenience in the injunctive context. Required, at very short notice, assimilation and presentation of a long and complex chronology; very forensically challenging and demanding excellent client management and team leadership skills. Abrey v. Abrey [2024] EWHC 2689 and 2863 (Ch) (2024-2025)
- Instructed by a heating insulation company (leading Kieran Wilson) to bring a claim for a springboard injunction against 15 Defendants in the context of a team move, also seeking an order for delivery up of property, protection of confidential information, provision of information/witness statement, orders to preserve evidence and an injunction to prevent breaches of post-termination covenants. The case settled on very favourable terms following issue and immediately prior to the hearing (2025)
- Instructed on behalf of a display enhancement company (leading Joe Bryan) to obtain springboard relief and to restrain an ex employee from theft of confidential information and diverting business opportunities to a new company set up by him. Successfully achieved closure of the new competing venture (2025)
- Acting for vendor shareholders who sold their insurance business and who were entitled to £millions in the event that profits hit certain levels during the earn out period. Very complicated share purchase agreement and misrepresentation issues and strategically even more challenging. A highly successful outcome was obtained by Dale’s clients. (2025)
- Advised a fintech company on a team move of 4 accountants from a Big Four accountancy firm, headed by an equity partner, in a niche and fast-developing science tech field. Involved consideration of very complex restraints in the LLP agreement and contracts of employment, breach of fiduciary and contractual duties in the context of a team that generated £millions pa. (2025)
- Acting for a business seller responding to allegations that he had acted in breach of his post-employment obligations contained in the share purchase agreement and a related contract of employment and seeking payment of the earn-out consideration of the SPA (2025)
- Acting on behalf of and settling proceedings (leading Callum Rodgers) for a director of a Foreign Exchange business claiming breach of an introducer agreement entered into following his sale of shares in the business to new owners and other outstanding fees (2025)
- Acting for a restless, dynamic and famous keynote speaker in the tech/media field who sold his majority interest in a business pursuant to a lengthy, complex and detailed share purchase agreement for £40m. Client was unexpectedly and unceremoniously dumped by the vendor following sale and planned to operate in the same space as his former business. Advised on very complex and difficult share purchase agreement provisions overlayered with detailed points concerning fiduciary duties, conspiracy (with senior boardroom colleague, who was retained by the vendor) and springboard injunctions (2024/5)
Employment Appeal Tribunal and Employment Tribunal
Dale is a City executive, discrimination and whistleblowing specialist. Examples of Dale’s recent high profile Employment Tribunal and Employment work (2025 and 2026):
- Tribunal claim of female PA (leading Lydia Banerjee) for £millions in a sexual harassment suit against a CEO of a world-renowned sports company, reported around the world before restricted reporting and anonymity orders were made. Appeal hearings before the President of the EAT in June and September 2025 (held in private). A post-settlement application for permanent reporting restrictions will make new law re privacy rights concerning alleged perps and their family members. Very complex internal investigation involving 4 silks appointed to hear various stages. Requires multi-disciplinary approach and a difficult balancing act with media silks, sponsors, local law issues and intense media and regulator scrutiny (started 2024, ongoing in 2026)
- Appeared at 4 hearings in 2024 and 2025 acting for the employer in a sex and race discrimination claim brought by a London-based trader and member of the executive claiming endemic sex and race discrimination within a Chinese financial institution. Claim alleged to be worth “many millions of pounds”, based on bonus comparison with a handsomely paid senior male trader. Litigation focused on jurisdictional questions involving lengthy and detailed legal submissions. Very favourable settlement following a highly complex mediation in May 2025. An excellent example of Dale’s high end/high net worth discrimination practice (2024-2025).
- Acting for two illustrious media clients (leading James Green), former CEO and COO and substantial shareholders of a leading news media plc, the owner of many national and regional newspapers, in their protected disclosure unfair dismissal and related civil claims. They alleged advertising frauds and were dismissed following a leak in a national newspaper (2025-ongoing)
- Acted for a university defending a claim brought by a very senior individual of unfair dismissal and action short of dismissal on the grounds of having made protected disclosures. The case involved very lengthy internal procedures, significant disclosure issues and complex legal submissions with regard to the drawing of inferences and the burden of proof in relation to such claims (2025)
- Advised a leading regional healthcare provider throughout a complex investigation involving both personal grievances and protected disclosure complaints brought by one of its execs (2025).
- Acting for a Global Head of an alternative investment fund management bringing protected disclosure claims against multiple parties arising out of FMSA 2000 and related contractual obligations (2025, ongoing).
Equal Pay Specialism
Acting in appellate, civil and employment tribunal arenas defending multiple equal pay claims, Dale is one of the few true respondent experts in this area. Dale has established a very successful leading ET and appellate practice in long-running multiple-claimant litigation (especially private and public sector equal pay) and cases with a corporate dimension concerning high profile individuals of very high net worth and of unusually high value. Work in 2025 and 2026:
- Presently acting in the ET and EAT for numerous local authorities (leading Lydia Banerjee) in England and Wales defending circa 8,000 equal pay claims and involving claims of rated as equivalent and equal value, where applicable, challenging the validity and reliability of the JES. This litigation typically involves incredibly high financial stakes, is document heavy, requires long-term strategic thinking and is very complex, legally and factually, both procedurally and substantively. Much of this work is confidential but a recent example of appellate work in this area is Swansea City & County Council v. Abraham [2025] EAT 93 (heard by the President of the EAT). Dale has acted for local authorities in this area since 2007, work remains ongoing in 2026.
- Defending hundreds of claims against a large retailer and High Street name, brought by female shop workers using male warehouse workers as comparators. Complex questions concerning jurisdiction of High Court and the tribunal to hear claims and the most convenient forum for the dispute, whether civil court or employment tribunal. Difficult strategic questions as to preliminary points to be taken in either/both jurisdictions (ongoing 2026, instructed 2019). Dale has acted in large retail equal pay claims since 2016.
- Acting for an industry body seeking to intervene in an EAT appeal concerning material factor defences in the context of mass retail equal pay claims. (2025, ongoing).
- Advising an educational trust employing 1,200+ employees as to its equal pay pensions liabilities, involving complex material factor defence considerations and whether objective justification was required (2025, ongoing).
- Advised a very large and high profile clothing retailer client with regard to its potential mass equal pay liabilities (hundreds of potentially affected employees), having regard to its industrial and employment profile (operating both female dominated shops but also male-dominated logistics jobs) and the Next decision (in which the employer was unsuccessful) – which bore striking similarities to its own situation. Complex material factor points. Very challenging strategic issues as to how to manage the risks going forward. Issues of legal privilege and corporate memory i.e. how to identify and preserve the evidence given the history of pay decisions that may have to be justified. An excellent example of Dale’s advisory work in this highly sensitive area, where the sums at stake are habitually business critical and the complex and multi-factorial judgement calls arise (2025).
- acting on behalf of an outgoing Managing Director and private credit specialist of an asset management company alleging sex discrimination, harassment and equal pay. Led to a very favourable settlement. (2025)
- Acting on behalf of a financial services company defending sex discrimination and equal pay claims brought by a former Managing Director and a former partner of a Big Four accountancy firm. The case involved sensitive disclosure issues concerning the comparators, who were all leading City execs (2025)
