Jeremy Lewis KC

Jeremy is a leading practitioner in the employment law field, covering all forms of employment law in the civil courts and employment tribunal, and before the CAC. He has acted in a number of the landmark cases in the field, and is particularly noted for his expertise in relation to transfer of undertakings, whistleblowing, business protection and discrimination.

Notable cases include:

• United Kapital Ltd v Bolaji and Sedulo Group Ltd [2025] EWHC 1726 (springboard and other injunctive relief in the context of claims of breach of confidentiality, infringement of database rights and post-termination covenants)
• MacLennan v British Psychological Society [2025] ICR 977 (EAT) (acting on behalf of Protect, intervening, in a decision opening the door to whistleblowing protection for charity trustees)
• Djalo v Secretary of State for Justice [2025] EAT 67 (scope of cross-employer discrimination claims).
• United Kapital Ltd v Bolaji and Sedulo Group Ltd [2025] EWHC 1726 (springboard and other injunctive relief in the context of claims of breach of confidentiality, infringement of database rights and post-termintion covenants)
• MTN-1 Ltd v O’Daly [2022] EAT 130 (successfully overturning rejection of appeal as out of time, due to impact of appellant’s ADHD).
• Fallahi v TWI Ltd [2021] EAT (re the test for whether it is possible to look behind a final written warning in an unfair dismissal claim).
• Driscoll v V & P Global Ltd [2021] IRLR 891 (EAT) (important decision establishing, contrary to previous authority, the right to bring constructive dismissal harassment claims).
• Slade v Biggs [2022] IRLR 216 (EAT) (decision setting out important guidance on aggravated damages awards).
• Ibrahim v HCA International Limited [2020] IRLR 224 (CA): successful appeal in a whistleblowing claim, an important authority on the approach to the public interest test.
• Augustine v Econnect Cars Limited UKEAT/0231/18/OO, 20 December 2019, gig economy appeal, establishing claimant was a part-time worker
• Chumber v Hestia Healthcare Limited UKEAT/0229/18/LA, 22 February 2019, successful appeal against rejection of disability discrimination reasonable adjustment and whistleblowing claims.
• Born London Ltd v Spire Production Services Ltd [2017] I.C.R. 998; [2017] I.R.L.R. 493 (EAT): successful in the first appellate decision on employee liability information obligations
• Mehan and others v Visage Limited and another [2017] EWHC 2734 (obtaining extensive injunctive relief in the context of a team move in the clothing sector, and setting out guidance on provision of information orders).
• Jinks v Havering LBC UKEAT/0085/17/JOJ, 14 November 2017 successfully upholding the dismissal of the claim based on a service provision change under TUPE and obtaining an award of costs against the claimant.
• NHS 24 v PillarUKEATS/0005/16/JW, 21 April 2017 – successfully reversing the unfair dismissal decision on appeal.
• Summan v University of Lincolnshire(Claim No. D00LN154, Lincoln County Court, 27 April 2017 – successfully defeating an application for an injunction to prevent internal disciplinary proceedings continuing
• Muzi-Mabaso v Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise [2015] UKEAT/0353/14/DA, 13 November 2015 – successfully overturning in part the first instance decision to reject disability discrimination claims.
• Smith v Carillion [2015] I.R.L.R. 467 (Court of Appeal) – together with John Bowers KC, successfully resisting the claim based on blacklisting victimisation on the basis of lack of worker status.
• Underwood v Wincanton Plc[2015] UKEAT/0163/15/RN, 27 August 2015 (EAT) – one of the first decisions on the public interest test for whistleblowing.
• Services for Education (S4E) Limited v (1) White and (2) Birmingham City Council UKEAT/0024/15/DM – an important decision on the issue of continuity of employment on a transfer of an undertaking
• MacIntosh v National Waiting Times Centre Board UKEATS/0001/15/SM – a successful appeal in relation to claims of discrimination arising from disability and disability related harassment.
• McCabe v Greater Glasgow Health Board UKEATS/0004/14/SM Langstaff J (unfair dismissal and disability discrimination)
• Ashworth v Royal National Theatre[2014] 4 All E.R. 238 (resisting application for injunction seeking to require continued employment of the band in “Warhorse”).
• Tullet Prebon v BGC Brokers(acting for the ten brokers moving to BGC against whom extended garden leave injunctions were sought)
• Celtec and others v Astley(House of Lords and European Court of Justice): This is the leading case on timing of a transfer, establishing the principle that there must be a single date for the transfer and the test as to how that date is to be ascertained. The reasoning in the case is also important in relation to the scope for employees to opt out of the transfer, and lies at the heart of argument in subsequent cases as to the validity of secondments in a TUPE context.
• Matthews v Kent and Medway Town Fire Authority House of Lords, the leading case on the Part Time Workers Regulations
• Sodexo Limited v Gutridge and others(Court of Appeal): The leading authority on the approach to equal pay time limits in a TUPE context.
• Kuzel v Roche Products Limited (CA), which is the leading case on burden of proof in protected disclosure claims
• R v CAC ex parte Kwik Fit(GB) Limited (CA) (an important decision on the correct approach to determination of a collective bargaining unit)
• R v CAC ex parte BBC (concerning whether, for the purposes of trade union recognition, cameramen were to be regarded as professionals)

Jeremy regularly acts in claims for and resisting injunctive relief, primarily in cases involving restraint of trade, confidentiality, intellectual property and fiduciary duty issues concerning employees, directors and/or shareholders, partners or vendor/purchaser cases.  He is co-author of five chapters in Brearley and Bloch, “Employment covenants and confidential information”  (Bloomsbury, 4th ed 2018) relating to:

• The duty of fidelity;
• Fiduciary duties;
• Reasonableness of express covenants;
• Introducing/ varying covenants; and
• Final remedies

Notable cases include:

• United Kapital Ltd v Bolaji and Sedulo Group Ltd [2025] EWHC 1726 (springboard and other injunctive relief in the context of claims of breach of confidentiality, infringement of database rights and post-termintion covenants)
• Mehan and others v Visage Limited and another [2017] EWHC 2734 (obtaining extensive injunctive relief in the context of a team move in the clothing sector, and setting out guidance on provision of information orders).
• Summan v University of Lincolnshire(Claim No. D00LN154, Lincoln County Court, 27 April 2017 – successfully resisting a claim for injunctive relief to prevent internal disciplinary proceedings continuing against a University lecturer.
• Tullet Prebon v BGC Brokers(acting for the ten brokers moving to BGC against whom extended garden leave injunctions were sought)
• Ashworth v Royal National Theatre[2014] 4 All E.R. 238 (resisting application for injunction seeking to require continued employment of the band in “Warhorse”).

Relevant areas include commercial contract disputes, director disputes and fiduciary duties, shareholder disputes and corporate insolvency. Jeremy is the author of the chapter on employees and insolvency in Lightman and Moss, “The Law of Administrators and Receivers of Companies” (Sweet and Maxwell, 6th edition, 2017 and forthcoming 7^th edition) and the chapter on Fiduciary Duties in Bloch and Brearley on “Employment covenants and confidential information”  (Bloomsbury, 4th ed 2018).

Notable cases include:

• Klaturov v Revetas Captial Advisors LLP [2023] EWHC 2671 (implication of terms in an LLP agreement)
• Paul Wurth Limited and others v Siemens VAI Metals Technologies Limited(CA) (interim injunction and dispute as effect of without prejudice communications)
• I-Way Limited v World Online Telecom Limited(Commercial Court) (misrepresentation, implication of contractual terms, estoppel)
• Zakharov v White (interim injunction/ lawfulness of bench warrant/commercial fraud)

Jeremy has acted in a variety of sports cases including:

• member of Sports Resolutions pro-bono panel
• discrimination and harassment claim relating to senior figure in F1
• advised on behalf of England cricketers suspended from national selection.
• a challenge to withdrawal of funding by British Swimming: Tancock v British Swimming SR/0000720014 (Mr David Phillips KC)
• wrongful dismissal by football managers
• disputes as to television rights relating to Premier League teams
• disputes over renewal of central contracts
• personal injury in sports (eg Doane v MK Dons and others (Sheffield County Court)).

Notable cases include:

• Tancock v British Swimming SR/0000720014 (Mr David Phillips KC).
• Doane v MK Dons and others (Sheffield County Court)

Jeremy is an Accredited Mediator within the ADR Group.

Co-author/editor:

• General Editor, of “Transfer of Undertakings” (Sweet & Maxwell, looseleaf)
• Lewis, Bowers, Fodder and Mitchell, “Whistleblowing, Law and Practice” (2022, OUP, 4^th ed)
• “Vicarious liability” (PLC Practice Note)
• Bowers and Lewis, Employment Law and Human Rights (Sweet and Maxwell 2001)
• Lewis and Lewis, The Work Family Challenge: Rethinking Employment (Sage, 1996).

Contributor

• Bloch and Brearley, “Employment Covenants and Confidential Information” (Bloomsbury,  4th edition, 2018).
• Lightman and Moss, “The Law of Administrators and Receivers of Companies” (Sweet and Maxwell, 6th edition, 2017, and forthcoming 7^thedition).
• Butterworth Tolley’s Termination of Employment (looseleaf).

Employment Law Bar Association
Employment Lawyers Association
Industrial Law Society
Commercial Bar Association

After attending Manchester Grammar School (1979-86), Jeremy studied law at Brasenose College, Oxford, where he obtained a First Class Honours degree and a First Class degree on the Bachelor of Civil Law course.