Gareth Brahams

Partner and Head of the Employment Department, Stewarts Law LLP

• +44 (0)20 7822 8173
• gbrahams@stewartslaw.com

Specialisation

Gareth specialises in getting employees and partners the highest levels of compensation when they have lost their job or are having a hard time at work whilst protecting their reputations and enabling them to move on as quickly as possible. He is particularly recognised for his work on cases relating to bonuses, whistle-blowing and discrimination.

Gareth also advises a wide range of employers and employees across all other areas of employment law.

He was recently named in The Lawyer's 2012 'Hot 100' in recognition of his work. In particular, the Hot 100 cited Gareth's success in the case of Beck v Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce where he won both the main hearing and three appeals.

The independent legal directory, Chambers and Partners, ranks Gareth as one of the top 10 employment lawyers in London for handling senior executive work, and describes Gareth as "bright, energetic and hands-on" as well as "widely recognised as a terrific lawyer who strives more than most to get the best result for his clients".

Memberships

Gareth has been a member of the Employment Lawyers Association for over 15 years and is currently elected chair of its Training Committee and on its Management Committee.

This role carries with it the responsibility to organise and plan all training run by the ELA (the main provider of training to employment lawyers) and to chair the annual conference's plenary session.

Career

Gareth trained at S.J.Berwin & Co. On qualification in 1995, he moved to the employment team of Capsticks, a niche practice in the healthcare sector. In 1997 he moved to Frere Cholmeley Bischoff which subsequently merged with the London office of Eversheds. After five years of doing predominantly employer work, Gareth moved to Lewis Silkin where, over time, his practice evolved to include acting for senior executives and individuals working in financial services.

After ten years at Lewis Silkin, in May 2010, Gareth left to set up Stewarts Law's Employment Department.

Gareth has worked on a number of reported cases including Goodall v Ministry of Defence (reported in the Sunday Times), RCO v Unison, which became a leading Court of Appeal case on TUPE; and the interim relief application in Ryb v Nomura - a high profile case reported in the Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Financial Times, which broke new legal ground for using the procedure in a discrimination context for the first time. This caused the Equality and Human Rights Commission to back the case financially and for it to be the subject of considerable legal commentary. At Stewarts Law, Gareth acted for Achim Beck against CIBC in an age discrimination case leading to a victory at Tribunal, two victories at the EAT and a further victory in the Court of Appeal. The case made front page news in the Financial Times and has been reported in the IRLRs.

Gareth's practice thrives on referrals from other employment lawyers who recognise his abilities as a litigator - he is known as the lawyer people choose when asked "who would you least want to have on the other side".

He is a regular and highly rated conference speaker. He is frequently quoted on employment law issues in the national and trade press, has appeared on television and national radio and his articles have been published in the Financial Times, CityAM, Personnel Today, Employment Law Journal, Employment Law Briefing, the Lawyer and the Law Society Gazette.

Personal

Gareth is married with three children. He plays football enthusiastically but without any discernible skill.

He has run the London Marathon (not particularly quickly), enjoys reading and political debate. Before becoming a lawyer, he taught English as a foreign language in a University in Ecuador.

Gareth speaks conversational Spanish.