Employment and Discrimination

Jen has represented and advised employers and employees in a wide range of businesses and industries including: banking, charitable sector, FTSE 100 companies, retail, education, public sector, manufacturing, transport, health and service industries. She is in court and Tribunal regularly and acts as sole counsel in complex multi-day discrimination and whistleblowing litigation. She is highly sought after by both claimant and respondent solicitors for her clear-sighted, strategic approach to litigation.

Jen has particular expertise in the Higher Education sector acting for both Higher Education providers and on behalf of unions and individual academics. She undertook a secondment at the University of Oxford as their senior employment lawyer which has enhanced her ability to give highly practical advice in complex claims.

She is currently junior counsel on a large group claim in a gig-economy case. Jen is also particularly interested in the cross-over between employment and information law and how the GDPR operates in and impacts on the workplace and employment litigation.

Jen regularly undertakes complex internal investigations into employee disputes and disciplinary matters, including in the most sensitive cases of serious sexual harassment.

Jen represents clients in discrimination in goods and services and education litigation. She acted for Emily Bendell in her widely-reported proposed action against the Garrick Club.

She was appointed to the EHRC's Panel of Preferred Counsel in 2019 and is Cloisters' Data Diversity Officer. Jen is ranked in both Chambers and Partners and Legal 500.

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Jen has an active practice representing claimants in clinical negligence claims. Recent cases as sole counsel include claims involving cauda equina injury, delay in cancer diagnosis, injury during surgery and birth injury. She acts in complex cases where both liability and quantum are in dispute and has recent multi-track trial experience.

Jen acts as junior counsel to leaders in the field of high value clinical negligence litigation, in particular, wrongful birth cases.

She is highly adept at managing complex schedules of loss and taking a supportive approach in highly sensitive and distressing cases.

Public, International and Human Rights

Jen’s expertise and experience in group claims, civil litigation and complex quantum cases supports her growing public, international and human rights practice. She has a particular interest in claims which involve a crossover of different areas of law and has advised on complex matters relating to the interaction between human rights, data law and discrimination. Jen is also developing expertise in climate related public law challenges, having recently worked with ClientEarth. Jen has advised Big Brother Watch, led by Schona Jolly KC.

Background

Jen undertook pupillage at Cloisters, prior to which she ran employment and personal injury cases for an international law firm.

In 2011 Jen spent six months in Texas working as a Reprieve Intern for the Gulf Region Advocacy Center, representing clients facing the death penalty, where her work included drafting briefs for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeal and the US Supreme Court.

Jen is licensed to accept Public Access instructions.

Chambers & Partners 2024: (Employment) “Jennifer Danvers attracts attention for her ability in complex cases of discrimination, whistle-blowing, unfair dismissal and harassment. She represents claimants and respondents, including those in education and academia.” "Jen provides detailed and commercial advice on complex employment tribunal matters." "She is very responsive, gets on top of the papers extremely quickly, has really clear insight into the issues and provides practical advice on the way forward. She is excellent in her tactical approach to fully using Employment Tribunal rules to best advantage." Jen works so hard picking things up quickly and getting to grips with them. She produces detailed and to-the-point submissions. Clients adore her. She is clearly incredibly smart and an amazing advocate for her call year."

Legal 500 2024: (Employment) “Jennifer is an absolutely brilliant barrister. She is incredibly intelligent and her knowledge of employment law is second-to-none. She explains even the most tricky issues clearly and concisely. You always know you are in a safe pair of hands when you instruct her.”

Chambers & Partners 2023: "Jennifer is simply superb. She is razor-sharp, bright and a complete joy to work with." "She is a formidable advocate on her feet and really excellent on the legal details."

Legal 500 2023: “Intelligent, articulate and technically strong, while also being very approachable to witnesses and instructing solicitors. She is happy to advise at an early stage in a matter, leading to her feeling like an extended member of the team, rather than simply an advocate for the hearing. Her advocacy skills are fantastic.”

Chambers & Partners 2022: "She is extremely knowledgeable on discrimination and employment matters, she is very approachable and quick to respond. She identifies the issues immediately and leads cases to successful outcomes." "She is a personable barrister who is really easy to work with; she is really hard-working, she is down to earth and she is reliable."

Legal 500 2022: "A total joy to work with. Jennifer is exceptionally bright, immensely hard-working and extremely approachable. The quality of her written work, as well as her Tribunal advocacy and her advice in conference, is superb – one to watch."

Chambers & Partners 2021: "She is absolutely superb. She is incredibly bright, has an amazing work ethic and takes on board even the tiniest details; she provides practical advice and innovative solutions." "She is a great strategist, who is always commercial, personable and client-focused."

Oxford University, BA, Law

Kaplan BPTC

• Heslop v Said Business School and others - represented the respondents in a complex 10-day whistleblowing and constructive dismissal case.

• Leighton v VR Music Ltd (in liquidation) and anor - represented the claimant in sex, age, disability discrimination and victimisation claim following an instruction by her employer to wear her usual level of make-up at work.

• Acting for Emily Bendell in respect of her challenge against the Garrick Club's male only membership.

• Junior to Simon Taylor KC in a catastrophic injury clinical negligence case which settled for a lump sum and periodical payments equivalent to approximately £18m.

• Led by Ed Williams representing Adderley School in an Employment Tribunal claim related to the alleged Trojan Horse plot.

• Smania v Standard Chartered Bank [2015] IRLR 271 - the first appellate case to consider territorial jurisdiction in whistleblowing claims, led by Chris Milsom.

• South Central Ambulance Service v Gunn [2015] IRLR 799 - instructed by the Equality and Human Rights Commission as junior to David Massarella in an appeal in front of Langstaff P, regarding the duty to make reasonable adjustments in the context of a TUPE transfer.