Ma (Hons) Oxford University 1986
Dip Law (City University) 1987
Called to the Bar (Inner Temple) 1988
Accredited Mediator 2003
Former Legal Adviser to the Amateur Boxing Association of England.

PROFILE

Described by The Lawyer as "one of the 50 outstanding individuals in practice at the Bar", and "derserving of elite status", Sam Neaman has been listed as a 'Leading Individual' in one or more of the Legal 500, Chambers & Partners Directory, and 'Legal Experts' every year since 1992, and is currently listed in all three. Sam's main areas of expertise are in employment law, banking and commercial litigation and sports law, where he has gained extensive experience of major litigation at all levels of court, including the House of Lords. Quoted by Chambers & Partners Directory as "excellent", "concise and approachable", "coming in for warm praise from solicitors", and "highly recommended by his clients", Sam is best known for bringing a practical, down-to-earth and sympathetic approach to his dealings with both clients and solicitors.

Professional Experience

House of Lords

Johnson v Unisys Ltd [ 2003] AC 568 landmark employment case dealing with the interrelationship between contractual and statutory employment protection.
Fourie v Le Roux & Ors [2007] UKHL 1: leading case on freezing injunctions, and the jurisdiction of the English High Court to grant interim injunctions.

Court of Appeal

Winchester Cigarette Machinery Ltd v Payne (No 1): The Times....1993: admissibility of expert evidence in commercial claims.
Winchester Cigarette Machinery Ltd v Payne (No 2): The Times 15 December 1993: stays of execution pending appeals to the Court of Appeal.
First Sport Ltd v Barclay Bank Plc [1992] 3 All ER 789; construction of banking terms and conditions relating to cheque guarantee cards.
Johnson v Unisys Ltd [1999] 1 All ER 854: see under "House of Lords".
Jarrett & Ors v First National Bank & Ors [1999] QB 1; impact of Brussels Convention on foreign timeshares financed by credit obtained in this jurisdiction.
Kapadia v London Borough of Lambeth [2000] IRLR 699: treatment and deducted effect in disability discrimination claims.
Wilson v Post Office [2000] IRLR 834: definition of "reason for dismissal" in unfair dismissal claims, and correct approach for EAT to the issue of remission versus substitution of its own decision in successful appeals.
Hayes & Ors v Transco Plc [2003] EWCA Civ 1261: interpretation of collective agreement terms in individual employment contracts.
Robert & Ors v Redrow Homes (NW) Ltd [2004] IRLR 740: meaning of "working" in the Working Time Regulations.

Other Courts and Tribunals

Employment

Sam regularly appears in the EAT, and in the High Court on injunctive work, including search and seize and freezing injunctions, relating to restrictive covenant and confidential information issues. Quoted by Chambers and Partners Directory as "particularly praised for his excellent work in disability discrmination", Sam is in demand for lengthy, complex, or high profile employment tribunal claims, and has recently acheived notable victories for IBM and Aston Villa F.C, in multi-day discrimination cases. Sam has considerable experience of giving high-level strategic advice to sections of industry - for instance the British sea-fishing industry on working time issues, and British universities on Part-Time-workers issues. He regularly advised major companies on TUPE and redundancy/restructing exercises.

Banking/Commercial

Listed in the Legal 500 as a leading individual in Banking litigation, Sam has a thriving High Court practice representing and advising High Street Banks, from mercantile and commercial court claims to disputes with the OFT over credit card liability and bank charges. Sam has recently successfully defended Lloyds TSB Bank in two multi-million pound High court claims.

Sports Law

Having formerly boxed, played football and run at a high level, Sam brings a thorough knowledge and understanding of sport from the client's perspective to his expertise in Sports Law. He has advised and represented players, agents, clubs, coaches/managers, promoters, jockeys and sports bodies at the highest levels, both professional and amateaur.