General News

Welcome to August's newsletter Welcome to 3PB’s Education Law Team Newsletter. You will find in this edition the recording of our webinar on the new school exclusions, suspensions and pupil movement guidance, published by the Department for Education on 13 July 2022. We are delighted to announce important 3PB wins in the Supreme Court (Part-time music teacher wins landmark case on calculating holiday pay for ‘part-year’ workers) and in the Upper Tribunal (Upper Tribunal confirms...

Tom Evans successful in reducing sentence in Court of Appeal

5th August 2022

3PB criminal barrister Tom Evans, pictured here, was successful in the Court of Appeal (Criminal Division) yesterday after the Court allowed an appeal in the case of R v Birol. Tom's client entered a guilty plea to falsely imprisoning his daughter on the second day of his trial. In the summer of 2021, he had travelled with his wife and elder daughter to Bournemouth where they collectively enticed their younger daughter into their car and...

The past 30 days have provided much for the employment law world to write about, starting with the success of 3PB’s Mathew Gullick QC, Lachlan Wilson and Naomi Webber in the Supreme Court in The Harper Trust v Brazel case; and Mathew Gullick QC earning the accolade of the Times’ “Lawyer of the Week” in the process.

A day in the life of a junior clerk with Natalie Bryan

2nd August 2022

Natalie Bryan joined 3PB back in November 2019 as an apprentice, and following her successful completion of her apprenticeship, is now a Practice Assistant dealing with enquiries and diary management. Natalie has been shortlisted as Junior Clerk of the Year at the 2022 UK Bar awards from Legal 500. Natalie recently featured in a Her Bar blog about her role as a junior clerk with 3PB.  Her Bar was founded in 2021 by pupil barristers Nasreen...

Jonathan Underhill secures acquittal in case concerning multiple allegations of same sex sexual assault

2nd August 2022

3PB criminal barrister Jonathan Underhill (pictured here) has secured acquittal for his client in a case concerned with multiple allegations of same sex sexual assault. Jonathan’s client, a young woman of good character, was acquitted after a fully contested trial of four charges of Sexual assault. The offences were alleged to have taken place in a small bedroom in sight of an independent eyewitness. Further, the offences were said to have taken place against the...

Upper Tribunal confirms appeals can be brought against review decisions of the SEN Tribunal for Wales

2nd August 2022

3PB education and public law barrister Matthew Wyard (pictured here) has succeeded in an important Upper Tribunal appeal in which the tribunal has confirmed that appeals can be brought against review decisions of the Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales. The decision was published yesterday 1 August. The appeal in AB v Newport City Council [2022] UKUT 190 (AAC) concerned a decision by the Special Educational Needs Tribunal for Wales (“SENTW”) to uphold Newport City...

3PB Partners with Bridging the Bar

29th July 2022

3PB has recently become a Bronze partner of Bridging the Bar. Bridging the Bar (“BTB”) is a charity, founded in July 2020, that aims to support aspiring barristers from a range of statistically underrepresented groups at the Bar. BTB exists to bridge the gap between students from non-traditional backgrounds and the skills, experience and networks required to develop a career at the Bar. This is achieved by providing the beneficiaries with work experience opportunities, access...

Mathew Gullick QC named as Lawyer of the Week by The Times

28th July 2022

3PB's Mathew Gullick QC has been named as Lawyer of the Week by The Times today, following the landmark judgment in favour of his client Mrs Lesley Brazel by the UK Supreme Court. Mathew Gullick QC acted for Mrs Brazel, a school music teacher, in the Supreme Court. Mrs Brazel claimed that her employer was wrong to give her fewer days of paid annual leave because she worked only during the school terms.  The UK's...

3PB Barristers gains Cyber Essentials Accreditation

22nd July 2022

3PB Barristers (3 Paper Buildings) has achieved the Cyber Essentials accreditation. Cyber Essentials is a government-backed scheme that helps organisations protect themselves against common online threats. The scheme is the government’s answer to providing a safe internet space for organisations and gives companies the security they need to provide a more secure network, protecting them from 80% of the most basic cyber security breaches. Cyber Essentials is a rigorous test of an organisation’s cyber security...

Part-time music teacher wins landmark case on calculating holiday pay for ‘part-year’ workers

20th July 2022

3PB barristers Mathew Gullick QC, Lachlan Wilson and Naomi Webber from 3PB's Employment and Discrimination Group - saw today a landmark judgment in favour of their music teacher client Mrs Lesley Brazel by the UK Supreme Court. This decision today follows her case being heard before an employment tribunal (in 2017), the Employment Appeal Tribunal (in 2018) and most recently the Court of Appeal (in 2019). The UK's highest court confirmed the rights of part-year...

Personal Injury barrister Darren Walsh appointed as a Circuit Judge

18th July 2022

We are delighted to announce that the Queen has appointed 3PB’s personal injury barrister Darren Walsh (pictured here) to be a Circuit Judge with effect from 1 August 2022. Called to the Bar in 1997, Darren was appointed as a Deputy District Judge in 2019. HHJ Walsh will now sit on the North-Eastern Circuit, mainly based in Leeds. Darren has practiced heavily in insurance fraud matters in high value motor and personal injury claims. Regularly...

Gemma White and Thomas Acworth secure extended sentences for youths convicted of causing GBH with intent

11th July 2022

In May, 3PB criminal law barristers Gemma White and Thomas Acworth (pictured here) secured the convictions of three youths who used a log to inflict extremely serious, life threatening and life changing injuries upon a care worker.  The care worker had challenged the youths for bullying another child.  They were sentenced on 30 June 2022. The two ringleaders (brothers, aged 14 and 16) were found to be dangerous offenders.  The youths were sentenced each to...