Jennifer Ferrario

AREAS OF PRACTICE

Jennifer's practice comprises of Employment Law and Professional Misconduct, both areas complementing each other very helpfully to Jennifer’s clients. Jennifer represents both Claimants and Respondents in all aspects of employment cases and has particular experience in unfair dismissals, discrimination and public interest disclosure claims. In the field of Professional Conduct, Jennifer acts for many UK regulators including the General Medical Council, Social Work England and the Police Services and represents professionals facing fitness to practise proceedings too.

PROFILE

Jennifer qualified as a Solicitor in 1996 and since 1998 has been representing professionals and regulators in fitness to practise proceedings. As a Solicitor Advocate Jennifer prosecuted and defended in criminal trials, appeared before numerous Police Misconduct Tribunals and upon transferring to the Bar in 2007, extended her practice to encompass employment law. Jennifer was In House Counsel for The Environment Agency and Greater Manchester Police 2003 – 2017 where she conducted complex advocacy in fitness to practise and employment cases, advised on policies and procedures and sat on mental health, human rights and hate crime committees. When Jennifer came to Chambers in 2017 she brought over 20 years’ experience of working directly with clients and this is reflected in the quality service that she provides with instructing Solicitors regularly commending her for her prompt turnaround of advice and preparation and all round management of expectation.

Since Joining Chambers, Jennifer through her tenacious work ethic and wealth of experience has developed a busy practice in employment and regulatory work and earned herself a reputation for delivering a style of advocacy that can best be described as firm but fair. In the employment tribunal and before regulatory panels, Jennifer has considerable experience in questioning extremely vulnerable witnesses often addressing sensitive issues and her balanced and measured approach is clearly apparent to her clients as she continues to be instructed in highly delicate cases. Jennifer regularly provides advice for and appears in, serious fitness to practise hearings including cases alleging sexual assault, fraud and discriminatory behaviour often where the police have taken no action and Jennifer will lead the parties through challenging evidential issues. The overlap between Jennifer's professional misconduct and employment practice is always well received by instructing Solicitors and Jennifer is often instructed because she is well versed in both practice areas and will cross reference her knowledge to the benefit of her clients.

Jennifer is our Chambers Champion for pro bono work and always has conduct of at least one pro bono case at any one time and has a particular interest in representing the more vulnerable in discrimination cases. Jennifer is also a mentor to the more junior members of Chambers in Fitness to Practise work and is Head of our Police Misconduct team.

Having been accredited by the Bar Council since 2017 to undertake direct public access cases, Jennifer is regularly instructed by members of the public in both employment and professional misconduct cases and has an especially busy practice representing Claimants in the employment tribunal. A recent direct access client gave the following feedback to Chambers;

"Jennifer represented my daughter in a highly complex long running disability discrimination case against a very large company . Prior to the case my daughter had suffered from severe mental health problems. This made the case even more challenging for my daughter. When Jennifer became involved she immediately reviewed all the material and talked us through it very carefully and sensitively. She provided direct and clear advice to us and helped us even when she was on holiday. Jennifer is a consummate professional, showed true dedication and gave my daughter and I the strength to go on when the world seemed against us. She was an absolute tower of strength and we will always be grateful to her." J. McCarthy (direct access client).