Sophie Cashell

Andrew Sargeant

Team Leader

Email: andrew@littletonchambers.co.uk
Phone: 0207 797 8618

George Shah

Practice Manager

Email: george@littletonchambers.co.uk
Phone: +44 (0)20 7936 5011

Practice areas

Sophie practices across all of Chambers’ main areas of expertise: employment, commercial and sport. Sophie regularly appears in the Employment Tribunal, representing both employers and employees, and has appeared in the High Court (as junior counsel) and the County Court (as junior and sole counsel).

Sophie’s litigation experience includes statutory employment, commercial, as well as business protection disputes. Whilst she has been involved in an array of employment matters, she has particular experience and interest in cases involving whistleblowing and discrimination. Sophie also has experience with business protection cases or commercial claims containing allegations of misuse of confidential information, civil fraud and other breaches of contract. For example, she has acted as junior counsel in ‘team move’ litigation (involving allegations of conspiracy) in the High Court representing two departing executives and acted as junior counsel in a 9-day unfair prejudice trial (also involving a claim of unlawful means conspiracy) in the Insolvency and Companies Court.

Sophie combines her court work with advisory and drafting work, often involving fact-sensitive and legally complex issues. This includes drafting appeals to the Employment Appeal Tribunal and High Court.

Statutory Employment

Sophie has a very busy employment practice which involves acting for claimants or respondents (both individual or corporate) in claims involving whistleblowing, discrimination, TUPE, unfair or wrongful dismissal and unlawful deductions etc.

Sophie’s experience extends to all stages of litigation including advising on complex employment matters and drafting pleadings or appellate documents. For example:

Sophie has drafted pleadings involving claims under the TUPE 2006 regulations; failure to collectively consult under TULR(C)A 1992; constructive or ordinary unfair dismissal; discrimination (pertaining to most protected characteristics and involving claims pursuant to s.13, 15, 18, 19, 20, and 26 EqA 2010); whistleblowing detriment and automatic unfair dismissal (involving claims either under ERA 1996 and/or MAPLR 1999).
Sophie has also drafted documents for the Employment Appeal Tribunal, including a notice and grounds of appeal and writing submissions on behalf of a respondent in advance of a preliminary hearing.

Sophie regularly appears in the Employment Tribunal for preliminary hearings, judicial mediations or final hearings. Her extensive advocacy experience includes:

Making and resisting applications for anonymity orders.
Making applications for strike out or deposit orders. Including in relation to non-compliance with tribunal orders, time limits or employment status.
Drafting a skeleton argument in respect of a wasted costs application.
Successfully arguing there had been a TUPE transfer in respect of an employee who had been employed at a fitness centre.
Acting as junior counsel representing multiple respondents in a two-week whistleblowing, unfair dismissal and disability discrimination claim.

Acting as sole counsel in a variety of multi-day claims involving a range of complaints. This includes successfully representing a respondent in a four-day claim for race, sex or age discrimination, and successfully representing another respondent in a four-day claim for unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.

Successfully representing three respondents (one corporate, and two individual) at a seven-day hearing to determine complaints of race discrimination, victimisation, unlawful deduction of wages and unfair dismissal.

Further, Sophie has a particular interest in cases that involve international elements, for instance she has:

Acted as a junior in an age discrimination and whistleblowing claim which was resisted on the grounds of diplomatic immunity.
Drafted grounds of resistance and advised in a matter which involved consideration of the State Immunity Act 1978.
Worked on a claim brought in the DFIC involving claims of underpayment of bonus, breach of whistleblower protections, unlawful competition, and misuse of confidential information.