Biography

Dual qualified to practice in both Scotland and England & Wales, Colin began his career fighting in equal pay disputes on behalf of low-paid workers in Scotland, helping to settle a claim with South Lanarkshire Council for £75M as part of a nine-year case involving 3000 female staff.

Colin has since forged a reputation for his tenacity when representing employees who have suffered disability discrimination, with particular expertise in advising vulnerable clients with complex medical needs.

This is seen in his tireless work on the case Ms A Parkinson v The Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis, in which he successfully acted for the claimant whose employer failed to make reasonable adjustments to alleviate the substantial disadvantage to which she was placed by her disability. The claimant’s mental health issues, in part a result of being a first responder to Grenfell Tower, also played a significant part in the case.

Colin’s desire to be a force in driving forward equality law and to fight for and with those who need a voice in the workplace, inspires him to use his expertise to create change outside of his casework.

During his time as chair of national anti-discrimination charity The Discrimination Law Association, Colin has given specialist evidence to a Parliamentary committee on menopause in the workplace and whether it should be a protected characteristic. He’s also provided follow up evidence on the potential enactment on section 14 of the Equality Act, ‘Combined discrimination: dual characteristics’

As a board member of this charity and the equality, human rights and social justice charity Equally Ours, Colin fought against the introduction of the Bill of Rights, and will continue to fight against anything which reduces the protection open to individuals to pursue human rights claims.

Specialisms: Disability discrimination and reasonable adjustments in the workplace, AI and the future of work, discrimination in automated decision making.