Natasha Joffe
Practice summary
Natasha's practice covers all aspects of employment and discrimination law, together with public law and some personal injury and clinical negligence. In the personal injury field she has a particular interest in workplace injuries including stress at work cases.
In the field of employment and discrimination, Natasha has worked for a wide range of respondents and claimants. In particular she has represented a large number of local authorities and other public bodies (police forces, fire authorities and NHS trusts) in long and complex discrimination and whistle-blowing cases, sometimes involving senior officers. She has also frequently advised public bodies on higher level policy matters such as the TUPE implications of various contracting arrangements and on the equal opportunities implications of policy decisions. She has experience of restrictive covenants and injunctions and of advising on and acting in cases where employment relationships give rise to judicial review.
Natasha has also acted for union-represented claimants and for individuals in high-value discrimination cases. She recently acted for the successful claimant / appellant in Kelly v University of Southampton [2008] ICR 357 on the meaning of section 98(2)(d) of the ERA 1996 and the construction of immigration statutes. The matter was appealed to the Court of Appeal by the unsuccessful respondent but the appeal was withdrawn after exchange of skeletons.
Other interesting cases in which Natasha has appeared include Hussain v Livingston v Lancaster City Council [2000] QB 1, CA, Attorney-General v Blake [2001] 1 AC 268, HL and Liddiard v Post Office EWCA CIV 940; [2001] EMP L.R. 784
Natasha is a contributing author to Tottel's Discrimination Law (looseleaf), a contributor to Halsbury's Laws (Discrimination Volume) and the co-author of the Liberty / NATFHE Guide to Human Rights in the Workplace. She has also contributed to LexisNexis' Employment LawKnowhow. She has written occasionally for the Guardian on legal topics and for several years wrote a humourous column on employment tribunals. Her pro bono work includes work for FRU and for ELAAS and a stint in the US working on Death Row cases. She has been a Visiting Lecturer on the CPE course at City University.
A selection of recent cases
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Liddiard -V- Post Office
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[2001] EWCA CIV 940; [2001] EMP L.R. 784
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Dismissal for conduct outside workplace: football hooliganism, application of HRA
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Attorney-General -V- Blake
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House of Lords [2001] 1 AC 268; [2000] 3 W.L.R. 625; [2000]4 All E.R. 385; [2000]2 All E.R. (Comm) 4
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Restitutionary damages, freedom of expression
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Hussain & Livingstone -V- Lancaster City Council
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CA [2000] Q.B. 1; [1999]2 W.L.R. 1142; [1999] 4 All E.R. 125
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Junior to Rupert Jackson Q.C.; decision about local authority liability in nuisance and negligence for acts of racial harassment by council tenants
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Martin -V- Unilever
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acted for successful applicant in a sex discrimination case about serial non-promotions. Led at the remedies stage by Cherie Booth Q.C.
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Lewis -V- Chief Constable West Midlands Constabulary
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acted for plaintiff in case against West Midlands Serious Crime Squad. Settled for £200,000