Barrister Profile

Alice Carse

Year of Call 2008

Profile

Alice joined Chambers on 1 October 2010 following the successful completion of her pupillage.

Alice accepts instructions in all areas of Chambers' practice. She frequently appears in the Employment Tribunals and County Courts. Twice during 2011 Alice appeared as sole Counsel in  High Court judicial review proceedings. She also carries out work on the Treasury Solicitor's Baby Barrister scheme.

Employment

Alice is keen to accept instructions in all areas of employment law.

Alice provides advice and pleadings and appears frequently in Employment Tribunals, including multi-day hearings. Recent work includes:

  • Advising on a High Court breach of contract claim;
  • Advising on the potential enforcement of a restrictive covenant;
  • X v TH - being led by Ingrid Simler QC in successfully representing a respondent in a multi-week ET hearing of a race discrimination and redundancy claim;
  • X v S - successfully representing a respondent  at ET in a 3 day "final straw" constructive dismissal claim;
  • X v T - successfully representing a respondent at ET in a 4 day direct race discrimination claim;
  • X v L - successfully representing a respondent in a disability discrimination claim and obtaining an award of costs against the claimant;
  • X v H - obtaining a deposit order against a claimant in an unfair dismissal claim;
  • Advising on a cross-border TUPE transfer;
  • Advising a higher education provider on employee status;
  • Advising on a sex discrimination claim extending of a number of years;
  • Representing a claimant at a High Court CMC;
  • Advising on a contractual claim for commission payments.

Through work on the Treasury Solicitor "Baby Barrister" scheme Alice has experience of employment disputes which involve an element of public law. Alice has experience of handling employment cases involving the Human Rights Act 1998 and is keen to accept instructions in this area.

Alice's experience of discrimination law includes actions for discrimination in the provision of services in the multi track in the County Court.

Recently Alice represented a party against whom a Norwich Pharmacal order had been made in a costs dispute in the High Court. The proceedings arose as a result of industrial action.

Alice has a particular interest in industrial relations. She worked on a number of industrial relations cases as pupil to Andrew Burns, including:

  • British Airways Cabin Crew Litigation - Malone & Ors v British Airways Plc [2010] EWHC 302 (QB), [2010] All ER (D) 220, Bruce Carr QC leading Andrew Burns.  High profile contractual dispute arising out of changes to crewing levels on the airline. BA succeeded in the interim injunction hearing in 2009 and at the speedy trial in February 2010.
  • EDF Energy Powerlink v RMT [2010] IRLR 114, Timothy Brennan QC leading Andrew Burns. Blake J granted an injunction against a threatened strike on the London Underground on the basis that the RMT union had failed to give proper categories in its ballot notice.

Alice gives seminars and lectures in employment. Those given recently include:

  • Bringing and Defending High Level Discrimination Claims (with Suzanne McKie);
  • Schedules and Counter Schedules of Loss in Discrimination Claims (with Mo Sethi);
  • The Equality Act 2010: Key Points and Practical Implications;
  • Employment Tribunal Practice and Procedure.

Personal Injury

Alice can provide written advice on liability and quantum across a range of personal injury matters including RTAs, highways claims, employers' liability and travel claims.

Alice is instructed in fast track trials and has experience of disposals, small claims, and applications in fast track and multi track cases.

During pupillage Alice gained wide experience of personal injury work, including clinical negligence, alongside Robert Hunter.

Alice gives seminars and lectures in personal injury claims. Those given recently include:

  • Handling Fraud in Personal Injury Claims (with Laura Bell).

Commercial

Alice's recent commercial work involves:

  • Advising an insured in relation to a professional negligence claim;
  • Drafting a defence and advising on a breach of contract claim arising from a building dispute;
  • Drafting a defence in a contractual dispute and advising on indemnity coverage;
  • Experience of winding up petitions in the Companies Court.

As a pupil Alice worked on a number of commercial cases with Andrew Burns including:

  • The Court of Appeal hearing of the Employers' Liability Policy Trigger Litigation [2010] EWCA Civ 1096;
  • Aviva Insurance v Brown [2011] EWHC 362 (QB). Alice worked on the preparations for the High Court trial of this property insurance dispute;
  • Horwood v Argos & Ors [2010] Lloyd's Rep IR 453. Alice worked on interim applications arising out of the insurance dispute in the "toxic sofas" litigation.

Alice gives seminars and lectures and lectures in commercial law. Recent lectures include:

  • Recent Developments in Telecommunications Law (with Graham Read QC and Tim Frith);
  • SAAMCO in 2001: Recoverability of Losses in a Falling Market (with Ben Lynch);
  • Limitation in Solicitors' Negligence Cases (with Ben Lynch).

Tax and Finance

Alice is developing her tax and finance practice. She is currently instructed on tax cases on behalf of the taxpayer and HMRC.

As a pupil Alice worked with Akash Nawbatt on residence and employment-related tax cases including:

  • HM Revenue & Customs v Smallwood [2010] EWCA Civ 778, [2010] STC 2045 Timothy Brennan QC leading Akash Nawbatt (tax avoidance through double tax treaties; place of effective management and the 'Round the World Scheme')
  • Stockler v HM Revenue & Customs [2009] STC 2602 (Taxation of partnership income)
  • Nomura v HM Revenue & Customs

Public Law

Alice recently appeared as sole Counsel for a local authority in a High Court judicial review of education and care arrangements made for a child.

She also has experience of advising on the impact of public law, including the Human Rights Act 1998, in employment law.

Publications

Previous legal work

  • As an employment specialist paralegal in the human resources department of a major city law firm, Alice worked on a major disclosure exercise and prepared the discrimination questionnaire for a high value discrimination claim brought by one of the firm’s employees.
  • Alice has worked in a number of roles at the House of Commons. She was initially an intern on the Scrutiny Unit and Joint Committee on Human Rights. Subsequently, as an Inquiry Manager on the Communities and Local Government Select Committee, she briefed MPs on the public appointments selection procedure.

Education

LLM, Labour Law, London School of Economics

Bar Vocational Course, BPP Law School

BA (Hons) Law, St John’s College, Oxford University

Scholarships

Albion Richardson Award, Gray’s Inn

Professional memberships

  • Employment Law Bar Association (ELBA)
  • Personal Injury Bar Association (PIBA)
  • Industrial Law Society
  • Professional Negligence Bar Association (PNBA)
  • The Free Representation Unit (FRU)