Niran de Silva specialises in employment-related disputes involving issues of discrimination, directors’ duties, shareholder rights or restrictive covenants.

He is listed as a leading junior in employment law in Chambers and Partners which acknowledges his “forte” in discrimination claims and restrictive covenant injunctions. Examples of the latter include the following recent High Court proceedings: Tullet Prebon v Howell (2009), NewCapital Finance v Jones (2009) and JetAir Brokers v Rees (2010).

He has represented companies and individuals in high-value wrongful dismissal and bonus claims in the High Court, the Employment Tribunal and in successful mediations (both judicial and private). His previous experience in the City as an equity derivatives broker before being called to the bar has proved invaluable in litigating disputes in the financial services sector.

Niran was Counsel to the Metropolitan Police Service in the Morris Inquiry into professional standards in the police and has an expertise in claims involving the police and other public bodies, including in equal pay.

He is acting (led by Antony White QC) in multi-claimant sex discrimination and equal pay litigation in the North East of England including Allen v UNISON; Brennan v Sunderland & Others and Appleby v Gateshead & Others.

Niran also acts in commercial disputes between companies including having appeared in the leading cases on the entitlement of utility companies to recover the costs of repairing and installing their networks.

Significant Cases

His significant cases include:

BT v Bell Cablemedia [2001] BLR 343, leading test case on the entitlement of a utility company to recover costs of repair to its network under statute.

Ahmed v Oxford University [2003] 1 WLR 995, Court of Appeal authority on the role of assessors in discrimination claims heard in the Courts.

BT v Geraghty & Miller [2004] LTL 21 September, concerning the recoverability of costs incurred by utilities in repairing negligent damage.

Verdin v Harrods Ltd [2006] IRLR 339, concerning issue estoppel when running concurrent claims in the High Court and the Employment Tribunal.

Nationwide v Niblett [2009] UKEAT 524, addressing the correct approach to the question of constructive unfair dismissal.

A v B [2009] UKEAT 421, concerning employment and worker status of PhD students.

Barkas v Metropolitan Police Service (2010) UKEAT 0149/09 on the correct approach to addressing limitation issues at Pre-Hearing Reviews.

Education

Niran studied Modern History at Keble College, Oxford and completed his CPE at City University, London.

Publications and Lectures

Niran is the co-author with John Bowers QC of “Police Conduct, Complaints and Efficiency”.

He is a contributor to “Butterworths Employment Law: Practice, Procedure & Precedents with CD-Rom, Fifth Edition”.

He is the Assistant Editor of “Parker on Election Law” (Editor: Richard Price QC), the leading textbook on election law.

He lectures on a range of topics (through chambers, to professional organisations such as ELA and through MBL Seminars) including Restrictive Covenant Injunctions, Electronic Disclosure in Commercial Litigation and Litigating High-Value Employment Claims.