Source: http://www.oldsquare.co.uk/our-people/profile/spencer-keen
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 05:58:38+00:00

Document:
"His forensic skills are second to none, and his delivery is incisive and polished."
"He is an excellent advocate and a formidable opponent."
"His knowledge of disability discrimination is second to none"
Spencer is an advocate with a broad practice. His main specialisms are employment, commercial law and European law. He appears regularly in the High Court, Employment Tribunal and appellate courts and tribunals.
"His knowledge of disability discrimination is second to none."
Bamieh v European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo  EAT. Whether an international organisation has personality for the purposes of domestic law and the effect of Article 10 ECHR on the territorial jurisdiction of an English Employment Tribunal.
Smith v London Borough of Bromley . Lengthy tribunal hearing considering whether the Council had allowed the claimant sufficient time off for trade union duties under s.168 TULRCA or had afforded her a detriment under s.146 TULRCA.
Hayden Leigh v Channel Four  EWHC. Interim injunction to prevent broadcast of television programme.
Zavahir v Shankleman & Ors  EWHC. Derivative claim alleging an unlawful distribution contrary to s.830 of the Companies Act 2006 and breach of fiduciary duty.
Wicksteed Leisure v Kompan  EWHC. Injunction to restrain an alleged theft of confidential information.
Decorus v Penfold & Ors  EWHC. Injunction to restrain an alleged theft of confidential information and breach of covenant.
Central Europe Business Development Ltd v Property Transfer Co-ordination Ltd  EWHC. Proprietary and freezing injunctions.
Boothe v Governing Body of Toynbee School  EAT : Whether the tribunal was correct to continue in the appellant’s absence and whether Article 6 ECHR was engaged.
Edwin v Avante Partnership  EAT. Whether a constructive dismissal required an express acceptance of a repudiatory breach.
Re-Use Collections v Sendall  EWHC. Claim for damages and an injunction rising out of an alleged breach of restrictive covenants and the duty of good faith.
Hamilton College London Ltd and another v Ahmad & Anor  EWHC. Case concerning a disputed transfer of a single issued share in the claimant company.
X v. Mid Sussex Citizen's Advice Bureau & Anor  UKSC 59 (Supreme Court). The leading case on whether a volunteer was protected from discrimination under domestic and EC law.
King v. Health Professions Council  EAT. Whether an employment tribunal had jurisdiction to hear a claim brought by a person applying for a qualification as a health professional.
Shea v. Micros Fidelio  EAT. This case deals with how far a tribunal can intervene to assist a litigant in person.
Lisboa v. Realpubs  EAT. Whether the new owners of a famous gay pub had discriminated against a barman on the grounds of sexual orientation when trying to re-brand so that persons of all sexualities were welcome.
Gill v Humanware Europe  EWCA. The correct approach to awarding wasted costs against an advocate.
Power v. Greater Manchester Police  ET and EAT. Whether a belief that one could communicate with persons after death was a belief protected by the discrimination legislation.
Gill v Humanware Europe  EAT. Spencer appeared for the successful appellant who was alleged that a tribunal judge was biased.
Spencer is recognised by both Chambers UK and the Legal 500 as a leading discrimination barrister who has expertise in disability discrimination. Both directories list his expertise in disability discrimination as “second to none”.
He has appeared in several leading discrimination disputes and is sought after for his ability to deal with complex cases and high profile clients. He has advised a large group of judges on their pension rights, city law firms in respect of internal partnership and disciplinary matters, a part-time judge in an unfair dismissal claim and several chief executives in their personal capacities as well as respondent companies of all sizes.
Because of his expertise Spencer’s advice is often sought in areas outside employment such as discrimination in the provision of services.
In 2009 Oxford University Press published Spencer’s book, Disability Discrimination in Employment and he continues to contribute articles to the New Law Journal.
You can find out more about Spencer’s employment cases by clicking here.
Spencer also advises on general commercial matters, including breach of contract claims, shareholder disputes, partnership disputes and actions both for and against directors and senior employees (including breaches of fiduciary duties, disputes concerning bonuses and commission etc). He has acted for shareholders in a wide variety of claims including claims for unlawful deduction and disputes over share transfers.
Spencer is frequently briefed in urgent injunctions applications concerning employee competition and breach of contract.
Spencer is an experienced advocate who provide advice and representation in commercial contract disputes. He is able to advise on contract disputes in a wide range of industries and can also advice and represent you on related claims such as outsourcing disputes, shareholder disputes, claims for unfair prejudice and disputes concerning executive and directors’ duties and bonuses. As a commercial barrister Spencer appears regularly in the High Court and County Court.
Spencer has particular expertise in applications seeking interim and final injunctions. He has advised and represented clients seeking to enforce restrictive covenants and confidentiality clauses and clients claiming protection from internet abuse under the Protection from Harassment Act. He has also acted for a politician making a claim under the Representation of the People Act before a general election.
Spencer can advise you on the merits of your claim or defence to help you predict what the likely outcome of your contract dispute will be. Preliminary legal advice on the merits of a claim or defence is often necessary so that informed tactical decisions can be made and to protect your position as soon as possible. Spencer will guide you, using his considerable practical experience, towards achieving the most sensible and cost-effective resolution of your contract dispute.
Spencer has experience drafting and negotiating contracts for clients as well as providing pragmatic and plain English advice on contractual problems.
Legal restrictions preventing an employee or director from competing with their employer or company take numerous forms. Contractual restraints, such as restrictive covenants, are subject to a legal doctrine prohibiting restraints on trade. This doctrine applies to any term in a contract purporting to restrict a person’s freedom to trade or to work in the business or occupation of their choosing.
indirect restraints, such as financial incentives not to compete.
A covenant restraining trade will be unenforceable unless it can be shown to be reasonable. In essence, this means the person relying on the restraint must show that it protects a legitimate business interest and that the restraint is no wider than is reasonably necessary for the protection of the interest in question.
Spencer has experience advising both employers, employees and directors on employee competition matters such as these. He has acted for employers, employees and directors in proceedings seeking injunctions to prevent competition, often at very short notice. He also has practical experience of final hearings allowing him to give realistic advice of what is likely to happen if the case is not settled after an interim injunction is granted.
Spencer is able to advise employees and employers in high-value bonus disputes. Bonus claims are governed by contract law. Spencer can advise you on the terms of the bonus scheme and any executive contracts.
Non-contractual, discretionary bonuses - Non-contractual, discretionary bonuses give the employer the broadest discretion possible when awarding bonuses. It can be difficult for an employee to challenge a bonus award made under this type of scheme. It is common for employees to argue that, despite appearances, the scheme is in fact a contractual one or that the employer has discriminated against him/her in its distribution of the bonus.
Contractual, discretionary bonuses - Disputes involving contractual discretionary bonuses arise where the employee has a contractual right to be considered for a bonus. Whether or not a bonus is awarded and the amount of the bonus can depend on the exercise of the contractual discretion. The terms of the contract will determine how broad or narrow that discretion is and how it might be challenged. Even if a bonus is described as being payable entirely at the discretion of the employer a court will often expect an employer to exercise that discretion in a rational way. Where an employer’s decision to refuse a bonus is arbitrary or capricious courts have sometimes been willing to intervene.
Contractual bonus - These are normally known as guaranteed bonuses. If a bonus is a guaranteed bonus then the employee would normally receive a bonus each year. The contract usually sets out how much the employee should receive and what conditions must be met before an employee will receive the bonus. For instance, it is common for the employer to require that, in order to receive the bonus, the employee must still in employment.
Whether the bonus is guaranteed or discretionary the starting point for considering any bonus claim is a careful and thorough review of the contractual terms. It is important to get expert advice from a lawyer quickly. You can increase your chances of avoiding litigation by identifying the strengths and weaknesses of your case at an early stage and using that knowledge in negotiations. Spencer can help you avoid legal proceedings by negotiating with the other party or engaging in alternative forms of dispute resolution such as mediation. If court is unavoidable Spencer can help you deal with the litigation robustly. As a barrister, Spencer can use his practical knowledge of court proceedings to give you pragmatic and realistic advice.
You can find out more about Spencer’s commercial work by clicking here.

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