About Emily Neill
Emily is originally from Northern Ireland and now based in London in Blackstone Chambers, renowned for its broad employment and discrimination, human rights, public, commercial and EU law practice. Emily was called to the Bar in 2008 (England and Wales); 2012 (Northern Ireland) and she practices across all of Chambers practice areas. She has been involved in a number of high profile employment and discrimination disputes. Earlier this year she represented the group of women Liberal Democrats who have alleged sexual harassment against the Lib Dem peer Lord Rennard in a mediation with Lord Rennard and the Party.
Amongst her cases is Seldon v Clarkson Wright and Jakes (2012) UKSC 16, in which Emily was Junior Counsel for the successful Respondent in the Supreme Court in an age discrimination claim arising out of a mandatory retirement age in a partnership agreement. This is the first substantial case seeking to justify a mandatory retirement age for a partnership and the case law arising out of the dispute has established a number of general principles governing the justification of direct age discrimination. Emily continued to successfully represent the Respondent at the remitted hearing before the Employment Tribunal in early 2013 and the Employment Appeal Tribunal in May 2014. She has acted and advised in a range of other age discrimination cases.