Solicitor, Public Family Law Team
Sorcha joined the Employment Department at Machins on qualification in 2018 and represented and advised individuals and commercial clients in employment disputes and tribunal claims. In 2023, Sorcha transferred temporarily to our Public Family Team and was quickly inspired by the combination of working on the frontlines of social justice, seeing real-world outcomes for the most vulnerable in society, legal advocacy, and personal fulfilment that comes with working in this sector, and decided to make the move permanent.
Sorcha represents parents in Care Proceedings and the Public Law Outline Process and assists members of the Children’s Panel in representing children through their Children’s Guardians.
Sorcha is described as a “breath of fresh air” by clients. She is known for her warm and supportive approach but is a robust advocate when required. Sorcha strives to be someone her clients can rely on during their most challenging times. She provides unwavering support throughout their cases and handles sensitive matters with the utmost care and professionalism. Her advice is pragmatic and concise, and always with the welfare of her clients and their families in mind.
In addition to her legal work, Sorcha enjoys assisting the firm with their corporate fundraising from organising a firm ‘sleep out’ to raise money for the homeless, undertaking an 18 mile hike along the Jurassic Coast for a charity who assists families to overcome the cost of education, and undertaking maintenance work for a local hospice.
A GP’s receptionist has been awarded £45,000 after winning a discrimination claim over home working during the pandemic. The case involved Tracy Keown, who was classified as disabled due to her microvascular angina. She had worked at Staines Road Surgery since 2019 and was considered to be in the high-risk category during the pandemic. Her
The General Medical Council (GMC) has been found to have racially discriminated against a Muslim doctor of African and European heritage. In giving its ruling, the Employment Tribunal referred to the high number of complaints against ethnic minority staff and said discrimination could be infecting the way the GMC dealt with such cases. The case
A bank worker has won his claim of unfair dismissal after he was made redundant following the breakdown of his relationship with his bosses. Joynal Choudhury had worked for Gatehouse Bank since 2015 and took on a new role as head of real estate in March 2018. He immediately suffered a strained relationship with his
A surgeon who accidentally set one of his patients on fire during an operation has won his case of unfair dismissal and been awarded £67,000. Dr O Iwuchukwu worked at City Hospitals Sunderland, part of South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, from 2005 until his dismissal in 2015. In August 2013, he was operating
A woman who found offensive remarks about her in a WhatsApp group used by work colleagues was the victim of harassment due to her sex, race and religious belief. That was the decision of the Employment Tribunal in a case involving Ms Muna Abdi and Deltec International Courier Ltd. Ms Abdi, who is black of
P14 MEDICAL LIMITED v EDWARD MAHON [2020] The High Court has recently provided helpful guidance on post terminations and confidentiality restrictions in employment contracts in the case of P14 Medical Ltd v Edward Mahon. In this case an employer had sought to restrict a former employee with very extensive restrictions including a very wide definition