Sophie acts for both Claimants and Respondents.

She frequently appears in multi-day hearings and attends judicial mediations, as well as advising and drafting pleadings.

She has experience in a variety of areas, including:

• • Discrimination, including disability, age and pregnancy, with particular experience of gender reassignment.
  • Whistleblowing detriment and automatic unfair dismissal.
  • Victimisation.
  • Unfair dismissal and wrongful dismissal.
  • National Minimum Wage and Working Time Regulations.
  • Unlawful deductions from wages.
  • Breach of contract.

Examples of recent cases include:

• Successfully representing a leading food and clothing retailer Respondent in a 4 day disability discrimination and constructive dismissal claim.
• Successfully representing the Claimant in a 4 day pregnancy discrimination claim.
• Successfully representing the Claimant at judicial mediation in a case which included a complex pension loss claim.
• Drafting Grounds of Complaint and advising in a sensitive and complex whistleblowing claim.
• Advising a company on how to avoid discriminating against transgender and non-binary applicants and employees whilst retaining its business model.

Sophie is instructed on behalf of Claimants and Defendants to advise in writing and in conference, draft pleadings and appear in hearings at all stages of litigation including frequently at trial.

She deals with both Fast Track and Multi Track cases and regularly acts on behalf of local authorities.

Sophie has experience in the following areas:

• Employers’ liability, including assaults at work.
• Public liability, including highways, occupiers’ liability and defective premises claims.
• Road traffic accidents, including low-velocity impact and claims against the MIB.
• Product liability.
• Accidents abroad.
• QOCS and fundamental dishonesty.
• Procedural issues.

In 2017, Sophie was seconded to the personal injury team at Stewarts Law for a month. She was involved with a number of multi-million-pound catastrophic injury claims concerning brain and spinal injuries.

Sophie acts almost exclusively for Defendant insurers, whilst retaining an unusual insight into credit hire from the Claimant perspective, having worked as a credit hire paralegal at Lyons Davidson in the Claimfast team before pupillage.

In addition to the usual issues, she has experience of:

• Enforceability and misrepresentation.
• Taxi claims and commercial hire.
• Fraud and fundamental dishonesty.
• Ex turpi causa
• High-value hire claims within the ‘portal’ and associated procedural issues.

Sophie is an experienced employment lawyer with extensive experience of dealing with unfair dismissal cases at Tribunal, where investigatory processes come under scrutiny. She is part of the Investigations team and is keen to develop her practice in this area. She happy to accept instructions regarding internal workplace investigations, disciplinary procedures and grievances.

Chambers and Partners (2024) - Employment (Band 3) - "Sophie is very technically and commercially aware and her advice is always strong. Sophie is good with clients and a sound advocate in Tribunal." "I've always been very impressed by her enthusiasm and tenacity."

Legal 500 (2024) - Employment (Tier 2) - "She is always well-prepared, diligent and thorough in her work. An impressive cross-examiner who knows how to get to the nub of an issue."

Chambers and Partners (2023) - Employment (Up and Coming) - "Sophie Firth has built a strong reputation for her work in National Minimum Wage Regulations claims, as well as offering experience in gender reassignment discrimination matters. She is a well-regarded barrister who is active in all areas of employment law."

Legal 500 (2023) - Employment (Tier 2) - "Sophie is fiercely bright, astute and has the ability to get right to the heart of the issue. A strong advocate with an intimate knowledge of all aspects of employment law. Her advice is commercially sound."

Chambers and Partners (2022) - Employment (Up and Coming) -"She's tenacious, good with clients, robust, positive and enthusiastic. She's everything one wants in a barrister." "Always well prepared, willing to give an invaluably definitive opinion on a case and willing to go the extra mile in preparation for the hearing."

Legal 500 (2022) - Employment (Tier 2) - "A confident and effective cross-examiner who provides comprehensive and detailed advice."

ELA

PIBA

Honourable Society of the Inner Temple

BA (Hons) English, University of Cambridge - First Class (2009); MA (Cantab).

GDL and BPTC, BPP Law School Leeds (2013-2014).