Shantha David

Shantha David is the Head of Legal Services at UNISON, the largest UK trade union, and a practising solicitor-advocate (and non-practising barrister) who has led in the field of employment law winning precedent-setting cases such as: Harpur Trust v Brazel & UNISON (UKSC), Chief Constable of PSNI v Agnew & Ors (UKSC), Lock v British Case (ECJ), UNISON, Vining & Ors v LB Wandsworth & SoS (CA), Alemo-Herron v Parkwood Leisure Ltd (ECJ).

She successfully advised and acted in the ground-breaking "ET Fees" judicial review on behalf of UNISON, which resulted in the UKSC ruling that the Lord Chancellor's decision to introduce fees in the employment tribunals was unlawful. She was recognised for these efforts as Liberty's Human Rights lawyer of 2017,  won the Lexis Nexis Halsbury Rule of Law award in 2018 and was named in the Lawyer's 2020 #Hot100 lawyer list.

Shantha served as chair and member of the Law Society's Employment Law Committee for a total of nine years; is a committee member of the Employment Lawyers' Association's Legislative & Policy Committee; and a member of Industrial Lawyers' Society.  She recently gave evidence to the Parliamentary Bill committee on the Retained EU Law Bill.