Jeffrey Bacon

Jeffrey’s practice regularly involves advising in relation to partnership disputes and disputes between joint venturers and LLP’s. He has recently had a number of cases testing the boundaries on the status of “members” of an LLP and as to the nature and scope of duties between a member and the LLP and between members.  He is often involved in disputes between joint venturers. 

Recent cases include advising all of the partners save for the “founding partners” of one of London’s largest practices regarding proposed changes to the LLP Deed.  He has also advised the country’s largest litigation practice in their recruitment of various teams from other firms (strategic advice on team moves) and then reviewing and redrafting the new LLP Deed.  Advising large city practise in relation to their recruitment of a partner and the duties owed by the firm to the new partner and vice versa.  

In other cases, Jeffrey has advised on and sought and defended interim relief applications for or against an LLP.  He has also sat as an independent appeal chairman on internal grievances or disciplinary issues affecting a London criminal practice. 

Present cases include advising in  two cases where the remaining partners are being sued by an ex-partner in relation to dissolution accounts and advising one party in a large property joint venture involving several jurisdictions.

Jeffrey has extensive experience in employment cases.  He has enormous experience of injunctions and other interim remedies and his practice has a regular stream of disputes related to restraint of trade and search and seizure/freezing order relief.  He has acted in all sectors in a series of individual and team move cases (some notable reported cases include Kynixa –v- Hynes, First Global Locums –v- Cosias, Brake Brothers –v- 3663 Food or Foodservice) and is constantly advising on all sides of team moves, confidential information and other active cases. He also speaks regularly to solicitors and other bodies on a wide range of employment issues.  His recent webinar with Adam Solomon on bringing and defending restrictive covenant cases was very well received.

Jeffrey has acted and advised in all areas of discrimination, equal pay, stress and bullying and whistleblowing (recent cases of note include various reported decisions in Abbey National –v- Woodward , Faria Alam –v- The Football Association), fully contested trials in the last 18 months include matters involving restraint of trade, equal pay, whisteblowing and sex discrimination.

He has acted in a wide range of cases involving TUPE, (recent cases including (a) advising employees  at John Lewis owned fabric suppliers on sale of factories by John  Lewis, (b) advising company taking over contracts for point of sale printing for large supermarket, (c) advising employees of private care homes on change of service provision).

A further part of Jeffrey’s practise which has a separate website section concerns stress at work, bullying and ill health cases.

Jeffrey has a strong reputation as an advocate and as a cool head under pressure, which his busy injunction practice demands. 

Jeffrey’s practice includes a series of sports related disputes.  He has a very wide knowledge of sport and sporting issues.  He has advised some of the major sporting bodies in relation to high profile disputes. 

Early in his practise, he was engaged by the BBC when Des Lynam was replaced by Gary Lineker, both to advise as to whether Lynam could be stopped and to draft new contracts for the Match of the Day team. 

He has since been engaged in an advisory and litigation capacity in a wide range of matters.  He has acted and advised in managerial disputes involving football clubs, the Welsh national rugby team and in advising on a variety of contractual disputes involving players, managers and coaches. 

He has advised on issues relating to Formula 1, boxing matches and promotions.  Jeffrey acted for the FA in the very high profile successful defence of sex discrimination and victimisation claims brought by Faria Alam.    He advised and drafted the agreements for elite athletes and elite coaches with the BOA prior to the Beijing Olympics. He has acted on a number of matters involving Portsmouth Football Club, including drafting agreements for players and the CEO and advising when criminal charges brought against Peter Story.  He is acting in TUPE claims brought by employees dismissed immediately before the sale of Crystal Palace.  

Jeffrey has significant experience in all aspects of professional negligence disputes.  His trial experience includes many cases involving solicitors and claims against surveyors, architects and brokers.  Under SIF he acted for most of the panel firms and was lead junior in the House of Lords in Hall –v- Simons.  He continues to be instructed by the insurers and in private cases. 

Jeffrey has acted as advisor, advocate and as Chairman of disciplinary matters involving, schools and universities (including relating to allegations of discrimination, harassment and bullying and drug testing), hospitals and other bodies. He has also acted in relation to a number of internal partnership disputes on a variety of issues including acting as chairman to a grievance appeal within a firm of solicitors.