Chris Bryden - Barrister

Chris’ personal website: Click Here 

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Recent News:

“Chris has been appointed visiting Fellow of the University of Bedfordshire, as part of his ongoing work with the National Centre for Cyberstalking Research based there. The appointment is for a period of three years from November 2011.”

Building on their work in this specialist area Michael Salter of Ely Place and Chris Bryden of 4KBW this week gave evidence to a Parliamentary Group Inquiry into potential amendments to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. The Inquiry, chaired by Elfyn Llwyd MP, is considering changes to the 1997 Act to address, amongst other things, its application to harassment by way of the internet and social media.

Michael and Chris' involvement in this area includes working alongside Collyer Bristow’s leading Cyberstalking and harassment team, and an affiliation with the University Of Bedford’s National Centre for Cyberstalking Research.

Michael and Chris have written widely on this important area of law, including the leading analysis I CAN See You: Harassment and Stalking on the Internet and have recently delivered a paper on the challenge posed by internet regulation at an international conference in Rome. More details relating to this area are set out below.

Areas of Practice

Chris has built a busy practice across the range of the common law, with the exception of crime, and enjoys a well-deserved reputation for his knowledge and expertise in each area. He appears regularly in the County Court as well as in the High Court and Employment Tribunals, and has been involved in cases up to and including the Supreme Court. He regularly is instructed at Appellate level and has enjoyed notable success particularly in the Employment Appeal Tribunal. He has extensive and wide-ranging experience particularly in the areas of:

 

• Financial Remedies (previously known as Ancillary Relief); 
• Employment;
• Housing and Landlord and Tenant; 
• Insolvency;
• Private law children;
•  Property and Commercial;
• Trusts of Land and co-ownership disputes;
• Wills and Probate; and 
• General civil litigation.

 

For further details of the full range of Chris’ practice and areas of law in which he will undertake, visit his website 

Chris also has an extensive paper practice covering pleadings and advice on all areas of the law and is able if necessary to provide oral or written advice at short notice.

Chris has also gained significant experience of mediation and alternative dispute resolution and is regularly instructed at an early stage in proceedings for his ability to assist in negotiated settlements or at round table or mediation meetings.

Before coming to the Bar, Chris spent a year working as an AO in the litigation department of the Treasury Solicitor where he gained experience of numerous cases involving the Home Office.

Chris has gained a reputation for diligence, hard work and an ability quickly to identify the important aspects of a case. He is approachable and available for advice both formally and informally and is known fearlessly to promote the interests of his clients.

Public Access

Chris undertakes instructions directly from members of the public under the Bar Direct Public Access scheme, which allows him, in appropriate cases, to work without a solicitor. However in appropriate cases Chris will recommend that members of the public that approach him directly nevertheless consider appointing a solicitor, in the usual fashion. Chris can be contacted via the clerks for Public Access enquiries in any of his areas of practise or for more details reference should be made to his personal website: www.chrisbryden.co.uk

Chris has also been accredited by the Bar Standards Board to provide training in Public Access to fellow members of the Bar.

Education & Qualifications

MA (Oxon.), Magdalen College, Oxford

LLM (Merit), University College London

Qualified to undertake Public Access work

Accredited to provide Public Access training

Professional Memberships

Property Bar Association
Employment Lawyers Association
Family Law Bar Association

Interests

Cooking, Debating, Rugby, Wine

Harassment and Cyberstalking

Chris is acknowledged as an expert in the field of harassment and cyberstalking and on 12 October 2011 at the invitation of Elfin Llwyd MP gave evidence to a Parliamentary Select Committee.

Chris is the co-author of the leading paper in this area of law, entitled I CAN See You: Harassment and Stalking on the Internet and published in the Journal of Information and Communications Technology. Since publication, Chris has also presented a paper at the IADIS Conference held in Rome in July 2011 building on his conclusions.

Chris works closely with the National Centre for Cyberstalking Research, based at the University of Bedfordshire, as well as the Cyber Stalking Unit established by Collyer Bristow. He is also affiliated with the National Stalking Training Academy which provides training and awareness of the risks posed by Cyberstalking.

 

Seminars

Chris enjoys preparing and presenting seminars on various areas of the law, both in Chambers as part of its ongoing seminar program and in house directly to solicitors. His seminars are CPD accredited and he is happy to prepare seminars specifically on request by solicitors in areas of law that may be of interest to them.

Recent Seminars Include:

• Insolvent Employers
• After Judgment - Getting what's owed
• Harassment in the Workplace
• Termination of Tenancies for Tenant Default
• Businesses, bankruptcy and life after Charman
• Costs and Compensation in the Employment Tribunal

Publications

In addition to his work relating to harassment and cyberstalking, Chris is a prolific author of legal articles and papers, which regularly appear in various legal journals. He has recently been appointed to the panel of expert authors of the New Law Journal and is commissioned to produce at least six articles for them per year.

Recent journal articles include:

"Deciphering the Code" 12 August 2011. Appeal Tribunal guidance on the ACAS Code.

"Gone but not forgotten" 24 June 2011. When will an ex-employer be liable for comments about ex-employees.

"Moving Forward" 6 May 2011. A summary of new employment legislation.

"Safeguard or straitjacket?" 25 March 2011. Is TUPE a help or a hinderance to business?

"Contentious Third Parties" 18 February 2011. When is an employer liable for harassment caused by a non-employee?

"Unhappy New Year" 21 January 2011. A response to Helen Giles criticism of the tribunal system.

“A fine balance”, New Law Journal 7 January 2011 Vol 161 No. 7447 p11

• Risky Business New Law journal 1477 29 October 2010

•Keeping Schtum New Law Journal Vol. 160, No. 7436 p. 1363 8 October 2010

• Birmingham CC: Testing the Water New Law Journal 11 June 2010 vol 160 p821

• Joe vs The Volcano New Law Journal 30 April 2010 vol 160 No. 7415 p601

• Stressed Out New Law Journal 26 March 2010 vol 160 p446

• Unreasonable Conduct New Law Journal 12 February 2010 Vol 160 No 7404 p198

• A Matter of Intent? New Law Journal 13 November 2009 vol 159 No 7393

• Justice Denied? New Law Journal 3 July 2009 Vol 159 No 7376 p943

• Overstepping the Mark - Employment Tribunals must not stray into imposing their own view when considering the fairness of a dismissal (first published in the New Law Journal 3 April 2009 Vol 159, No 7363 p.491)

• Benefit Matters - How relevant are benefits payments to employment tribunal cases? (first published in the New Law Journal 6 February 2009 p.178)

• Stressed Out - stress in the workplace is a fertile source of litigation - (first published in the New Law Journal 28 November 2008 Vol 158 No 7347 p.1664)

• Centrum's Impact - Does Centrum mark the end of discriminatory advertising? (first published in the New Law Journal 24 October 2008 Vol 158 No 7342 p.1474)

• An Unfair Advantage? - (first published in the New Law Journal 23 May 2008 Vol 158 No 7322 pages 723-724)

• Compensation awarded under the PfHA 1997 - (first published in the New Law Journal 9th May 2008 Vol 158, No. 7320 pages 652-653)

• A Sting in the Tail - problems left by insolvent employers (first published in the New Law Journal 29 February 2008, Vol.158, No.7310, p.320)

• Which Route To Use? (first published in the Solicitors Journal 23 November 2007 Vol 151 No 44)

• Faking It - Beware False Documentation (first published in the new Law Journal 19 October 2007 Vol.157 no.7293 p.1445)

• Finders Keepers (first published in the Solicitors Journal 3 August 2007 vol.157, no.7280 p.960).

• Harassment by Third Parties - whether an employer can be held liable for harassment caused to their employees by third parties (first published in the New Law Journal 6 July 2007 vol.157, no.7280 p.960).

• Cutting Through The Smoke - consideration of the effects and other possible consequences of the Health Act 2006 (first published in the Solicitors Journal 8 June 2007).

• Stubbing Out - a review of existing causes of action available to prevent smoking (first published in the Solicitors Journal 4 May 2007).

• Choose your Court - practical guidance on the most suitable forum in discrimination claims. Solicitors Journal vol. 150 no.47 1588.

• Together with Michael Salter, Chris previously also wrote a weekly column in the Legal Lessons section of the UK medical weekly Pulse Magazine.