Barrister Profile

Profile

Employment Law has been Suzanne’s sole area of specialism since 1995. She has experience in all aspects of employment law and recent notable cases include Rabbi Lew v. Trustees of United Synagogue; Pedropillai v. PWC; Switalski v. F & C Asset Management; Kus v. Merrill Lynch; Cantor Fitzgerald v. Bird, Boucher, Gill and Icap; Madarassy v. Nomura International plc and Terillon v. Nomura International plc and Tenner v. PwC.

Suzanne regularly acts for financial institutions, PLCs, LLPs, senior executives and equity partners.

Suzanne was ranked a Leading Junior in Legal 500 2011, and was shortlisted for Employment Junior of the Year in the Chambers Bar Awards 2009.

Chair of the Employment Lawyers' Association (2008-2010)
Currently Vice President of the Employment Lawyers Association

Editor of ELA Briefing 2001–2004

Suzanne is recognised in Band 1 of Employment law Senior Juniors in the current edition of Chambers and Partners Directory (2010)

Recommendations

Suzanne has been recommended as a leader in the field of Employment Law in the Legal directories since 2002. Amongst some of the comments made in the Directories about her are:

"Suzanne McKie brings a ‘commercial and strategic perspective to any case management; she is almost entirely unflappable and absorbs pressure like a sponge’.” - Legal 500 2011

"she is not afraid to mix it with the big players" confirmed by her recent appearance in the protracted Switalski case. "A tough, robust advocate" with "superb timing when it comes to landing the final punch” - Chambers UK 2011

Suzanne McKie is "extremely accessible, commercial and clear in her advice". - Legal 500 2010

She "tells it like it is" and "really lives and breathes her cases." Solicitors find it "hard to imagine that there is anyone who gives of themselves quite so much as McKie". - Chambers UK 2010

Suzanne McKie is a "straight-talking advocate". She has "practical experience of what it's like on the other side of the fence and, accordingly, understands what can be achieved." "Inspiringly passionate about her subject," she acted for Dresdner Kleinwort in a whistle-blowing case, and represented Barclays Capital Services and BNP Paribas in discrimination cases. - Chambers UK 2009

"impressive both on paper and in person" - Chambers UK 2008

"excellent on her feet" - Chambers UK 2008

"a ferocious cross-examiner" - Chambers UK 2008

"robust and quick thinking" -  Legal 500

"Measured and intelligent advocate" -  Legal 500

"played a blinder in Cantor Fitzgerald; a steel magnolia, she had everyone gripped and was incredibly effective" -  Chambers UK 2004

Recent Cases

• Rabbi Lew v. Trustees of United Synagogue (High Court) [2011] IRLR 664- interim hearing - injunction to prevent disciplinary or capability procedures being used by the employer to manage the Rabbi where this was said to be in breach of the Rabbi's contract of employment.
• Pedropillai v. PWC (2011), 5 week trial acting as leading counsel for PWC against an equity partner making a multi-million pound claim based on race discrimination over a ten year period.
• Switalski v. F & C Asset Management plc (2007-2010); high level multi-million pound sex discrimination case from ET to Court of Appeal
• Spackman v. London Metropolitan University [2007] IRLR 744 - impact of industrial action on pay.
• Sharp v. Caledonia Group Services - acting for employer from ET to Court of Appeal (2006-2007) - indirect sex discrimination, equal pay and burden of proof ([2006] IRLR 4)
• Tenner v. PwC (2010) - acting for PwC against equity partner in a disability and associative disability multi-million pound claim
• Hammond v. Barchester Care Homes plc (2010) - acting for employer in Ch Division defending claim by former Managing Director under company share scheme and bonus scheme
• Lunt v. Standard Life (2010) - age discrimination and harassment claim relating to pension age
• Gula v. Tenon Plc (2009) - acting for Tenon in large scale whistle-blowing claim
• Rock v. Dresdner Kleinwort (2008) - acting for bank in unfair bonus claim
• Kus v. Merrill Lynch (2007) - acting for bank in whistleblowing claim
• AHJ v. LPL (2009) - multi-handed High Court injunction and damages claim re restrictive covenants and breach of confidentiality.

Recent Publications

Discrimination: Equity Partners and age discrimination (Solicitors Journal September 2011)

Co-Author of Equal Pay: Practice and Procedure (Butterworths, 2006)

Contributor to Butterworth's Discrimination Law (2008-2009)

Articles for ELA Briefing, The Employment Lawyer and Solicitors Journal

Seminars & Lectures

Regular lecturer on employment law for ELA and Lexis Nexis.

Professional Membership

• Employment Lawyers Association
• Employment Law Bar Association

Education

Nottingham University
First Class Degree; Sweet & Maxwell prize for Top Law Graduate