OFFICERS AND COMMITTEE MEMBERS
OFFICERS
Mary Stacey (Chair) : Employment Tribunal Chairman and a deputy Chairman of the Central Arbitration Committee and the Independent Chair of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education staff. I was a Solicitor in private practice and Head of Equality at Thompsons, Solicitors before becoming a full-time Tribunal Chairman.
Professor Gwyneth Pitt (Secretary): Professor of Law at Kingston University. Longstanding active member, previously Vice-Chair, re-joined the Committee in 2005. The strength of the ILS is the diversity of its membership. I will continue to promote greater engagement by academic labour lawyers in the activities of the Society.
Richard Ascough (Treasurer) : Senior Officer/Legal Officer of the GMB. Regional Secretary of the GMB Southern Region since November 2004. ILS member for 10 years. I have represented members at employment tribunals for 25 years. I value the Society’s role in bringing together a wide variety of practitioners, academics, unions and employers.
HONORARY PRESIDENT
Professor Lord Wedderburn of Charlton QC, FBA : Emeritus Professor of Law (LSE), Hon degrees: Stockholm, Siena, Pavia; double starred First (Cantb. 1949); Employment and Labour Law (comparative). Editorial Board of the International Labour Law Reports ongoing since 1975.
VICE-PRESIDENTS
Sue Ashtiany, Partner, Head of Employment, Nabarro. Sue joined Nabarro as a partner in 2001. She heads the employment department of the firm. Her practice consists of casework, transactions, projects and advisory work.Sue's publications include contributions to:
- Tottels Employment Law
- Sweet and Maxwell Encyclopaedia
- FL Memo – Discrimination Law
Sue is also an EOC Commissioner, a Non-Executive Director of Channel 4 (and Member of the Audit Committee), a Member of Oxford Brookes Court, an Honorary Fellow of Harris Manchester College and a Member of the Advisory Panel of the Oxford Piano Festival.
Professor Roger Blanpain : Professor of Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations (1967-1998) and Dean, Law School, University of Leuven, Belgium (1984-1988), Professor, Law School, University of Tilburg. Visiting Professor INSEAD Fontainebleau. President of the International Industrial Relations Association (1986 - 1989); Vice-President of the International Society for Labour Law and Social Security Editor in Chief of the International Encyclopaedia for Labour Law and Industrial Relations; the Bulletin of Industrial Relations; Comparative Labour Law and Industrial Relations (5th ed); General Editor of the International Encyclopaedia of Laws (1989 - ); Director of the Euro-Japan Institute for Law and Business (1990 - )
David Cockburn : Vice President and former Chair of the ILS. Certification Officer. A member of the Editorial Committee of the ILJ. Former Chair of the ELA and the Employment Law Committee of the Law Society. One of the founders and present Treasurer of the Institute of Employment Rights.
Paul Davies : Vice-President and ex officio a member of the Executive Committee by virtue of being Editor of the Society's Journal, the Industrial Law Journal.
Cassel Professor of Commercial Law at the London School of Economics and Political Science. Editor of the Journal since 1977. Also the Society's representative on the Executive Committee of the International Society for Labour Law and Social Security.
Jennifer Eady Q.C.: Former Chair (1998-2000) and Executive Committee member of the Society. Leading Barrister in Employment and Discrimination Law (called 1989, silk 2006), practising out of Old Square Chambers. Part-Time Chairman of Employment Tribunals (2001-) and County Court Recorder (2003-).
The Honourable Mr Justice Elias, Vice-President of the Industrial Law Society.
Professor Sir Bob Hepple QC : Vice-President since 1975. Founding editor Industrial Law Journal (1972), and former Editor of the Bulletin of the Industrial Law Society (1968-72). Master of Clare College and Professor of Law, University of Cambridge and Barrister at Blackstone Chambers.
The Honourable Mr Justice Langstaff, Justice of the High Court (Queen's Bench Division) since 2005. Judge of the EAT since 2000. Formerly in practice as a QC specialising in employment, industrial injuries, and trade union law, and a member of the Society's Executive Committee from 1995-2005.
Stephen Levinson is a solicitor and partner with Manches. He has been practising employment law since the mid 70's and has had the conduct of a wide range of contentious employment cases from the tribunal to the House of Lords. He was a founder member of the Employment Committee of the Law Society also and is a former Treasurer of the Employment Lawyers Association and is currently a member of its International and Legislative & Policy committees and is a member of the editorial boards of Employment Law Briefing, Employment Law Journal as well as the Industrial Law Journal. A former Chairman of ILS he was a member of its Executive Committee for many years. His outside interests include book collecting, fishing, cricket and being a school governor.
Judge Jeremy McMullen QC : Judge of the Employment Appeal Tribunal. Chair 1989-93, Board member of the ILJ. Former GMB officer. Wrote the first Workers' Handbook Rights at Work 1978; Co-author Labour Law Review 1989-2000; Employment Tribunal Procedure 2002; joint editor Employment Law Precedents 2002; formerly Chair Employment Law Bar Association, Society of Labour Lawyers Employment Group and ILO Joint Panel, and part-time Employment Tribunal Chairman.
Professor R. W. Rideout LL.B., Ph.D (Lond) : Vice-President since 1983. Chairman 1977-1980. Professor of Labour Law - UCL - since 1973. Part-time Chairman of Employment Tribunals since 1983. Deputy Chairman CAC 1978-2000. Author of 'Principles of Labour Law' and other books on employment and trade union law.
Michael Rubenstein : Editor of Industrial Relations Law Reports and Co-Editor of Equal Opportunities Review.
Melanie Tether : Vice President of the Society and former Chair. Barrister, Old Square Chambers, specialising in employment law, discrimination, education, administrative/judicial review. Publications : Equal pay section of Tolley's Employment Law. Speaks regularly on employment law.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBERS : 2008/2009
Diamond Ashiagbor: Reader in Law, University College London. I have 14 years' experience researching and teaching employment and equality law. An ILS member since I was a trainee solicitor with a trade union firm, I joined the Committee in 2006 and hope to encourage more involvement by academics in the Society.
Adam Creme: I am Head of Legal Services for UNISON where we have run many of the leading employment law cases. I am committed to continuing the involvement of people from all sides of the industrial law world to the work of the Society.
Jason Galbraith-Marten: My first year as a committee member (albeit co-opted!) has been both rewarding and illuminating but I feel that I am only just getting started. I hope that my contribution has been appreciated and would very much welcome the chance to do more in the year ahead.
Georgina Hirsch: I am Director of Legal Services for Unite the Union. A solicitor with a background in legal aid and employment law + civil litigation, I work both on advising the union’s leadership, and using the law to help our members through case work and policy development.
Isabel Manley: specialised in employment and discrimination law for over 22 years. As a solicitor she worked primarily in the voluntary sector for law centres. She is now a salaried Employment Judge in Watford. She has also lectured in the UK and Cape Town and has co-written “Employment Tribunals – A Practical Guide”
Lucy McLynn: Employment Partner at Bates Wells & Braithwaite London LLP, acting for both Claimants and Respondents. I would hope that my mixed practice, as well as my energy and enthusiasm for ILS as a unique forum for discussion, would enable me to make a valuable contribution to the committee.
Dr John McMullen: Partner, Head of Employment Law, Watson Burton LLP, Professor of Labour Law, University of Leeds and leading author. For many years has helped organise successful speaker meetings in Leeds. He is committed to continuing to help provide an expanding programme in the regions in addition to London and national activities.
Victoria Phillips: Solicitor and Head of Thompsons Employment Rights Department. Solicitor acting for trade unions and their members, particularly dealing with collective rights. Member of Executive Committee since 2005. Committed to maintaining the wide spectrum of involvement and participation in the Society from trade unions, lawyers and academics.
Emma Smith: Barrister, Old Square Chambers, specialising in employment and discrimination law. An active member of ILS, and a member of the Executive Committee for the past three years, she wishes to continue contributing to the aims of the ILS in the education of members, and non-members alike, and in encouraging debate.
Paul Statham: Head of Employment Law Group, Pattinson & Brewer, acting mainly for claimants and Trades Unions. I enjoyed the challenge of working on the committee and wish to continue to contribute to the management of the Society that has contributed so much to my professional career.