NEW DATE: WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE

Presenter: Sarah Fraser Butlin KC

Join Cloisters’ Sarah Fraser Butlin KC as she discusses the recent Court of Appeal judgment in the landmark case of Higgs v Farmer’s School where Sarah acted on behalf of the Archbishops’ Council.

The guidance provided in the judgement and much of what Sarah will discuss, will be of real practical assistance to employees, employers, and educational institutions for how they should manage situations where an employee expresses personal opinions that might be offensive to others.

About Sarah Fraser Butlin KC

Sarah Fraser Butlin has a wealth of experience as an employment and clinical negligence specialist. She brings a rare combination of an excellent client manner, strong intellect and meticulous preparation to her cases.

Sarah is in high demand for complex high profile discrimination cases. She recently acted for the Church of England in the ground-breaking religious discrimination case of Higgs v Farmor’s School, in which the EAT gave guidance on how tribunals should determine belief discrimination cases. She successfully represented Revd Dr Martyn Percy in the litigation and mediation against Christ Church Oxford. She is currently instructed in a multi-party claim for a Russell Group University. Sarah regularly undertakes internal investigations into sensitive and knotty grievance and disciplinary matters including for top tier Universities and international organisations.

Described as “highly skilled in trade union cases. and questions of worker status”, Sarah has been instructed in numerous high profile worker status cases: junior counsel in the Court of Appeal in Cordant and University of London v IWGB, in Dewhurst v CitySprint and O’Eachtiarna v CitySprint. She is also one of very few barristers who has particular expertise in trade union matters, regularly appearing before the Central Arbitration Committee and advising on recognition and information and consultation duties. She was instructed by Unite in the Coxhill v Unite EAT appeal dealing with unjustifiable discipline of a union member.

Sarah was Chair of the Industrial Law Society from 2019-2023. She is a Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge and Affiliated Lecturer in Labour law at the University of Cambridge.