"She's an excellent advocate, with a first-rate technical ability. She is cool, calm and collected, approachable and always meticulously prepared."
Chambers UK 2020
Debbie is a highly sought-after and experienced employment & discrimination barrister.
Debbie has a balance of claimant and respondent work which covers all aspects of employment and discrimination issues, as well as trade union law. She appears in the Court of Appeal and the Employment Appeal tribunal, as well as in the High and County Courts and employment tribunals.
Debbie represents parties from the public and private sectors. Her work regularly involves complex cases of whistle-blowing, discrimination, TUPE and related matters as well as claims in respect of restrictive covenants and injunctive relief. She is experienced in dealing with equal pay litigation and is currently instructed in two separate sets of multi-party public sector claims on behalf of local authorities and further equal pay litigation brought by a very senior employee against one of the UK's leading banks. She also advises and appears in respect of trade union matters, including issues relating to recognition, collective agreements and industrial action.
Debbie's employer clients include:
Debbie's employee clients include senior employees from various professions including celebrity chefs and football club directors to medical professionals and senior oil industry and public sector workers.
Debbie is on the EHRC panel of approved barristers.
Debbie deals with all types of internal disciplinary and appeal processes. For employers, she has chaired internal hearings and on other occasions has provided specialist employment advice in respect of their processes and decisions. For employees, Debbie has particularly expertise in dealing with cases which have potentially career-ending consequences, most notably for senior medical staff and headteachers.
Debbie regularly undertakes work in respect of proceedings before professional regulators. Recent work includes advising and appearing in proceedings before the General Medical Council, the General Dental Council, the General Optical Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
Debbie's work encompasses both interim and final hearings.
Employment
Highly experienced in high-value and complex discrimination and whistle-blowing claims, as well as matters relating to equal pay and TUPE. She regularly receives instructions on behalf of public sector clients, including respondent local authorities and the NHS. She appears before the Employment Appeal Tribunal in addition to her court practice.
"She has a great cocktail of qualities: she has a real fighting spirit, and a good measure of commerciality as well; she's clever at making the other side engage with our position when they are entrenched." "She's tremendous: she's very strong, very diligent and very sensible."
Recent work: Represented the successful claimant in an age discrimination claim against BAE Systems. The respondent's enhanced redundancy scheme meant that employees aged 63.5 or above received reduced or no enhanced payments.
Employment
‘Her technical ability is first rate.’
Employment
Leading Junior - Band 1
Highly regarded for her expertise in high-value and complex discrimination and whistle-blowing claims, as well as matters relating to equal pay and TUPE. She regularly receives instructions on behalf of respondent local authorities and the NHS. She appears before the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in addition to her civil court practice.
Strengths: “Calm, collected, meticulously prepared and very persuasive. Watching her unravel a case through cross-examination is better than going to the theatre.”
Recent work: Represented the claimant in an age discrimination case against BAE Systems. The case concerned a tapering provision in an enhanced redundancy scheme.
Employment
Leading juniors
‘Experienced in equal pay litigation.’
Employment
Leading Junior - Band 1
Highly regarded for her expertise in high-value and complex discrimination and whistle-blowing claims, as well as matters relating to equal pay and TUPE. She regularly receives instructions on behalf of respondent local authorities and the NHS.
Strengths: "She has complete knowledge of her brief and is calmness personified."
Recent work: Represented the claimants in a high-profile whistle-blowing case brought by two senior employees against two NHS trusts. The claims were successful, leading to a number of resignations and significant settlements.
Employment
Leading juniors
'An employment law specialist.'
Employment
Leading Junior - Band 1
Well reputed for her handling of complex whistle-blowing and discrimination cases, along with TUPE and equal pay claims. She receives a large number or instructions from NHS and local authority respondents.
Strengths: "She's a very effective presenter, a feisty cross-examiner and a robust advocate." "Good with clients, sharp on her feet, and involved closely even before the hearings."
Recent work: Represented the claimants in Sardari & Gates v Torbay and Southern Devon Health & Care NHS Trust and South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, a high-level whistle-blowing matter which ultimately led to internal investigations at the organisations concerned.
Employment
Leading juniors
'Her advice is always focused, clear and pragmatic'.
Debbie Grennan recently represented two employees in a high-profile whistleblowing case against two NHS trusts.
Employment
Leading Juniors (Band 1)
One of the Western Circuit's leading employment barristers, with vast NHS and local authority-related experience. She is noted for the breadth of her practice, which covers discrimination, whistle-blowing, TUPE and equal pay-related claims.
Expertise: "She is incredibly intuitive in terms of knowing what you want to achieve and finding the quickest way to get you there. If you ask her to do something you know it will be done quickly, but you can also be safe in the knowledge that everything is going to be done properly." "She is an excellent advocate, clear and concise in the advice which she provides."
Recent work: Represented Newport City Council as the respondent in a case at the Court of Appeal concerning a complex disability discrimination issue.
The "incredible" Debbie Grennan. She is a "calm authority" on matters involving equal pay, whistleblowing, driscrimination and TUPE.
Employment
Leading juniors
'She has expertise in complex whistleblowing and discrimination cases, as well as TUPE and equal pay'.
Employment
Has considerable experience of employment law disputes. She handles a mix of claimant and respondent work related to all aspects of employment law, and also acts on trade union cases.
Expertise: "She is an excellent advocate, clear and concise in the advice she provides, and very approachable."
Recent work: He was instructed in a high profile EAT appeal concerning the issue of the employment status of a Sikh priest.
Other recommended members of the 'very strong' group include Debbie Grennan.
Debbie Grennan has particular expertise in discrimination and whistle-blowing claims.
'Debbie Grennan's responses are prompt, apposite and down to earth; and her business acumen is faultless'.
'Mixes a delightful and reassuring approach with clients with real grit and determination in the Employment Tribunal'.
'Debbie Grennan has loads of ability and is user-friendly too'.
'Highly-regarded'.
For further information and enquiries please contact:
Employment & Discrimination: Kate Hather
