Laurene Veale
Year of Call: 2019
OVERVIEW
Equality Law
Laurene acts in a range of discrimination claims in employment and in services. She has experience representing claimants with disabilities, including invisible disabilities and disabilities made worse by working conditions.
Laurene has a particular interest in pregnancy and maternity discrimination. She has advised on cases of redundancy after maternity leave and cases of detrimental treatment for pregnancy-related reasons. She has written about the need for legal reform to address gender inequality at work, especially to protect new and expectant mothers.
Laurene welcomes instructions in equal pay claims. She has worked on a large multi-claimant equal pay claim raising complex issues around defining work of ‘equal value'.
Laurene acts in the County Court, in claims of discrimination in housing and in services. She has specific experience advising on claims arising from the Covid-19 lockdown and unequal access to services during the pandemic.
Employment
Laurene acts in the full range of employment claims. During the pandemic she has acted in a number of large-scale redundancy claims.
She also acted as sole counsel in a 6-day whistleblowing trial of evidential complexity, with witnesses testifying in several countries.
Laurene is regularly instructed by both large established unions and younger unions mobilising workers in precarious sectors.
Laurene worked during pupillage on appeals in the Court of Appeal, including Tabidi v BBC [2020] EWCA Civ 733, a decision on assessing the prospects of success in a discrimination claim. She has also worked on appeals in the Employment Appeal Tribunal including the landmark case of Bessong v Penine Care NHS Foundation Trust UKEAT/0247/18/JOJ on employer's liability for third-party race harassment by reference to the EU Race Directive.
Investigations
Laurene has experience conducting investigations into allegations of discrimination and whistle-blowing at work including within multinational companies. She has also worked with senior counsel on large-scale investigations in universities, NGOs and trade unions.
As an investigator, she draws from her expertise in equality and employment law and her familiarity with the challenges specific to the work environment to conduct a fair and thorough investigation with sensitivity and realism.
Public law
Laurene has done work for the Grenfell Inquiry and is currently on the Counsel team of the Infected Blood Inquiry. She has a particular interest in the intersection of equality and public law and welcomes instructions in this area.
Clinical negligence
Laurene advises and represents claimants in clinical negligence claims where either or both of liability and quantum are disputed. She has experience in costs budgeting and drafting schedules of loss.
Background
Prior to joining the Bar, Laurene worked in international human rights and humanitarian aid in the UK and overseas. She speaks French and Arabic fluently and gets by in Spanish and Farsi.
Laurene acts in a range of discrimination claims in employment and in services. She has experience representing claimants with disabilities, including invisible disabilities and disabilities made worse by working conditions.
Laurene has a particular interest in pregnancy and maternity discrimination. She has advised on cases of redundancy after maternity leave and cases of detrimental treatment for pregnancy-related reasons. She has written about the need for legal reform to address gender inequality at work, especially to protect new and expectant mothers.
Laurene welcomes instructions in equal pay claims. She has worked on a large multi-claimant equal pay claim raising complex issues around defining work of ‘equal value'.
Laurene acts in the County Court, in claims of discrimination in housing and in services. She has specific experience advising on claims arising from the Covid-19 lockdown and unequal access to services during the pandemic.
Employment
Laurene acts in the full range of employment claims. During the pandemic she has acted in a number of large-scale redundancy claims.
She also acted as sole counsel in a 6-day whistleblowing trial of evidential complexity, with witnesses testifying in several countries.
Laurene is regularly instructed by both large established unions and younger unions mobilising workers in precarious sectors.
Laurene worked during pupillage on appeals in the Court of Appeal, including Tabidi v BBC [2020] EWCA Civ 733, a decision on assessing the prospects of success in a discrimination claim. She has also worked on appeals in the Employment Appeal Tribunal including the landmark case of Bessong v Penine Care NHS Foundation Trust UKEAT/0247/18/JOJ on employer's liability for third-party race harassment by reference to the EU Race Directive.
Investigations
Laurene has experience conducting investigations into allegations of discrimination and whistle-blowing at work including within multinational companies. She has also worked with senior counsel on large-scale investigations in universities, NGOs and trade unions.
As an investigator, she draws from her expertise in equality and employment law and her familiarity with the challenges specific to the work environment to conduct a fair and thorough investigation with sensitivity and realism.
Public law
Laurene has done work for the Grenfell Inquiry and is currently on the Counsel team of the Infected Blood Inquiry. She has a particular interest in the intersection of equality and public law and welcomes instructions in this area.
Clinical negligence
Laurene advises and represents claimants in clinical negligence claims where either or both of liability and quantum are disputed. She has experience in costs budgeting and drafting schedules of loss.
Background
Prior to joining the Bar, Laurene worked in international human rights and humanitarian aid in the UK and overseas. She speaks French and Arabic fluently and gets by in Spanish and Farsi.
QUALIFICATIONS
MA Politics and Arabic (with Distinction) University of Edinburgh
Graduate Diploma in Law, City, University of London
Bar Professional Training Course with LLM (with Distinction) City, University of London
Graduate Diploma in Law, City, University of London
Bar Professional Training Course with LLM (with Distinction) City, University of London
MEMBERSHIPS
Constitutional and Administrative Law Association (ALBA)
Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC)
Discrimination Law Association (DLA)
Employment Lawyers Association (ELA)
Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
Legal Sectors Workers Union (LSWU)
Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC)
Discrimination Law Association (DLA)
Employment Lawyers Association (ELA)
Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
Legal Sectors Workers Union (LSWU)
AWARDS
Inner Temple – 2018 BPTC Exhibition Award
Inner Temple – 2017 GDL Exhibition Award
Evan Ashfield Memorial Prize 2018 for best BPTC - FRU result
33 Bedford Row 2018 Prize for best performance in Clinical Legal Practice (City Law School)
University of Edinburgh – 2014 Irene Crawford Prize for best undergraduate in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
University of Edinburgh – 2014 Carole Hillenbrand Prize for best undergraduate dissertation in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
Inner Temple – 2017 GDL Exhibition Award
Evan Ashfield Memorial Prize 2018 for best BPTC - FRU result
33 Bedford Row 2018 Prize for best performance in Clinical Legal Practice (City Law School)
University of Edinburgh – 2014 Irene Crawford Prize for best undergraduate in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies
University of Edinburgh – 2014 Carole Hillenbrand Prize for best undergraduate dissertation in Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies