Alice Defriend

Alice joined Devereux as a tenant in October 2023 following successful completion of her pupillage. She is developing a busy practice in chambers’ areas of expertise, including employment, tax and personal injury and clinical negligence. She is regularly instructed in multi-day hearings in the courts and tribunals and has a busy advisory practice. 

Before coming to the Bar, Alice worked as the Judicial Assistant to Simler LJ in the Court of Appeal, assisting on a range of civil appeals including in employment and tax law. She also worked as a Judicial Assistant to various judges in the High Court King’s Bench Division where she assisted predominantly on personal injury and clinical negligence claims. During pupillage she was the recipient of the Gray’s Inn Reid Scholarship, one of the Inn’s most prestigious merit-based scholarships. 

Alice accepts pro bono instructions where appropriate. She was recognised for her pro bono work in the inaugural Pro Bono Recognition List 2024. 

• Employment

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  Alice acts on behalf of both claimants and respondents in a wide range of employment and discrimination matters.

  Recent instructions include: 

  • Representing multiple claimants in claims of whistleblowing, unfair dismissal, breach of contract and unauthorised deductions against an international investment bank; 
  • Successfully representing a bus company in a 2-day final hearing of an unfair dismissal claim; 
  • Representing the claimant in a claim of discriminatory dismissal on the grounds of pregnancy (the claim settled on the first day of the hearing after Alice provided written opening submissions); 
  • Instructed as junior counsel (led by Laura Bell) for a bank defending claims of whistleblowing, victimisation, and disability discrimination. She assisted in drafting the grounds of resistance; 
  • Instructed by an international investment bank to advise on issues of employment status and the territorial reach of statutory employment rights; 
  • Represented the claimant in a claim for unlawful deduction from wages and breach of the Working Time Regulations, raising complex legal issues concerning the applicability of the Agricultural Wages Order 2012. 

   

  As a pupil to Talia Barsam and Jesse Crozier, gained extensive employment law litigation experience, including in high value discrimination, unfair dismissal and breach of contract claims.  

  Alice has appeared as a sole counsel and has provided research and drafting support in the following matters: 

  • Variety of preliminary hearings, including for strike out and jurisdictional issues; 
  • Grounds of claim and resistance in discrimination, unfair dismissal and breach of contract claims; 
  • Drafting and research support for the Respondent in a claim brought by a former GP for automatic unfair dismissal and disability discrimination. Alice has assisted both at the liability and remedy stages; 
  • Drafting and research support in an appeal concerning the application of the Part-Time Worker (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000; 
  • Drafting support on a complex schedule of loss for Alice Mayhew KC. 

   

  Alice is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and the Employment Law Bar Association. 

• Tax

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  Alice acts on behalf of both taxpayers and HMRC in both advisory and litigation work. 

  Recent instructions include: 

  • Acting for the Revenue (led by John Brinsmead-Stockham KC and Marika Lemos) in a matter relating to the transfer pricing rules; 
  • Acting for the Revenue (led by Aparna Nathan KC) in an appeal relating to whether licence fee payments were taxable as income as part of circular financing arrangements; 
  • Acting for the Revenue (led by Joshua Carey) in a judicial review claim worth approximately £52 million; 
  • Assisting Marika Lemos in advising on the availability of business property relief in respect of property investment and development activities; 
  • Assisting Marika Lemos in advising on the applicability of the group relief provisions in the Corporation Tax Act 2010. 

   

  As a pupil to Aparna Nathan KC, Alice gained a wide range of tax advisory and litigation experience.  

  She provided research assistance in SSE Generation v HMRC Ltd [2023] UKSC 17 concerning whether parts of a hydroelectric power scheme qualified for capital allowances as plant and machinery. She also provided research support in Murphy and Linnett v HMRC [2023] EWCA Civ 497 on the interpretation of extra-statutory concessions. 

  Alice also gained experience of advisory work on behalf of both taxpayers and the revenue, including issues of: discovery assessments, residence and domicile, IHT/CGT/income tax liability under trusts, the TOAA provisions, the GAAR rules and Ramsay challenges. 

  Alice is a member of the Revenue Bar Association. 

• Personal Injury

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  Alice is developing a busy personal injury practice. Alice has appeared in numerous fast-track trials in RTAs, employers’ liability, occupiers’ liability and travel illness claims, representing both claimants and defendants. Alice also regularly represents clients in CCMCs. 

  Recent instructions include: 

  • Representing the claimant in an ongoing multi-track matter in which the Defendant's unsafe working practices are alleged to have caused a serious spinal injury to the Claimant which renders him unable to work for the rest of his life. The Claimant requires ongoing pain management as a result of his symptoms. 
  • Representing the claimant in a multi-track matter raising complex issues of medical causation and acceleration periods in respect of a back injury causing chronic pain. The claim settled before trial. 
  • Drafting a schedule of loss for an adult dependent claimant in a fatal accidents claim. 

   

  As a pupil to Stephen Cottrell, Alice gained significant litigation and advisory experience in a wide range of road traffic accident, catastrophic injury, clinical negligence, fatal accident and employer’s liability matters. She has experience in drafting pleadings and schedules of loss in high value claims. 

  Alice is a member of the Personal Injury Bar Association. 

• Investigations

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  Alice is experienced in carrying out investigations into grievances raising serious allegations of discrimination, harassment and workplace bullying.