Paul is a civil practitioner specialising in Employment & Discrimination/Harassment and Public Inquiries.
His work includes both written and oral advocacy in the Employment Appeal Tribunal, Employment Tribunal, County Courts, and in Public Inquiry hearings. He also advises on a wide range of employment and discrimination issues, carries out internal investigations and has been regularly instructed as Counsel to the Inquiry on at least one Public Inquiry throughout his career.
Paul was appointed to the B Panel of the Attorney General’s Counsel to the Crown in 2024 and undertakes public law work in his areas of specialism.
He is ranked as a Leading Junior in Employment and in Inquests and Inquiries by Legal 500, in which he is described as “…a junior with stellar qualities” who is “highly intelligent”, “able to sort the wheat from the chaff” and with “an easy and authoritative style in court”.
Paul studied law at the University of Cambridge, where he received a Senior Honorary Exhibition. He continues to play football regularly and follows his beloved Celtic from afar.
Paul regularly acts and advises in a range of Employment Tribunal claims and other employment matters.
He is regularly instructed to advise or represent large companies, SMEs, local authorities, individuals, charities and trade unions across a variety of sectors – including telecommunications, transport, healthcare, housing, retail, energy and education.
Given Paul’s extensive experience in both employment law and Public Inquiries, he is ideally suited to carrying out internal investigations and inquiries, and has carried out:
Paul is currently instructed on behalf of the Claimants in the landmark Asda equal pay litigation – the largest ever such claim against a private employer. He was Junior Counsel for the Claimants when one aspect of the case was heard the Supreme Court in the summer of 2020, and the case remains ongoing with a 10-week Stage 3 hearing in late-2024. Paul has also been instructed on behalf of several thousand Claimants in the Tesco equal pay litigation.
He is instructed as junior counsel on behalf of Ofsted in a forthcoming Court of Appeal hearing in Ofsted v Hewston, having successfully obtained permission at an oral hearing.
He has also appeared in a number of Employment Appeal Tribunal cases, those being:
His caseload also includes acting in full merits hearings and preliminary hearings, advice, negotiations, and drafting. For example, Paul has appeared in multi-day Tribunal hearings on the following issues:
He has also advised on, negotiated in, and appeared at preliminary hearings on various TUPE-related matters, territorial jurisdiction, sexual orientation discrimination and harassment, sex discrimination and harassment, religious discrimination and harassment, whistleblowing detriment and dismissal, holiday pay, liability for acts of agency workers, pregnancy discrimination and sexual harassment.
Additionally, he has:
Paul also has experience appearing in Scottish Tribunals and prior to joining Outer Temple, Paul worked in the Employment Team at BT Legal, where he represented the company in around 20 Employment Tribunal cases.
Paul has been frequently instructed in public inquiries since the very beginning of his tenancy and therefore has significant experience.
He has recently been instructed as Junior Counsel to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry, which was been set up to examine the UK’s response to and impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and learn lessons for the future. Paul was working on Module 6, which will be examining the care sector.
He was recently also instructed as Junior Counsel to the Brook House Inquiry. This is a public inquiry into the mistreatment of individuals who were detained at Brook House Immigration Removal Centre, set up following a Panorama broadcast in September 2017. Paul’s role included questioning a large number of witnesses, as well as strategic planning and advice to the Chair on the Inquiry’s proceedings and final report.
Paul was, for several years, working on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the largest Public Inquiry ever in the UK at that time. He was instructed as Junior Counsel to the Inquiry on three different strands:
He was also instructed for three years as Junior Counsel to the Independent Jersey Care Inquiry, which investigated the abuse of children in Jersey’s care system over many years.
Paul’s role in these public inquiries has involved inquisitorial advocacy, oral submissions, drafting, strategy, providing advice and analysing millions of pages of documentary evidence.
Paul Livingston is regulated by the Bar Standards Board (BSB) and holds a current practising certificate. If you are not satisfied with the service provided, please click here.
To find out more, contact Nick Levett +44 (0)20 7427 4908 or Mark Gardner +44 (0)20 7427 4909 for a confidential discussion.
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