Lucy Bone

About Lucy Bone

Lucy specialises in employment law and commercial litigation. She has extensive experience in employee competition and business protection disputes in the High Court, EAT, and Court of Appeal. Lucy’s statutory employment practice emphasises high-value discrimination, private equal pay, and whistleblowing cases, often involving regulatory implications and international elements. Her commercial expertise includes contract disputes, company and shareholder matters, and civil fraud. Lucy is recognised for independent investigations and is one of just 25 barristers accoladed by Chambers & Partners for such work. She is a CEDR-qualified mediator and accepts instructions to mediate disputes across her practice areas.

Continuously listed as a leading practitioner since 2005, Lucy has longstanding recognition and ranking across legal directories for employment law. She was nominated as Employment Junior of the Year 2024 for the Legal 500 Bar Awards.

Expertise

Shareholders, Directors, and Senior Executives

• Experienced in matters concerning senior executives, including remuneration and bonus claims, and claims at the intersection of partnership law and statutory employment.
• Frequently acts for high-net-worth individuals and in cases with regulatory implications.
• Advised a brokerage on a novel claim by a desk head asserting an implied right to garden leave.
• Advised a hedge fund on payment in lieu of notice (PILON) after discovering prior misconduct.
• Defended a senior executive at a US tech firm against a clawback claim for a substantial signing-on bonus, involving linked civil proceedings and a cross-border aspect.
• Advised a director with share options valued at £3 million on "Good Leaver" status during dismissal negotiations.
• Advised an equity partner and star performer at an ESG hedge fund (remuneration package of £25m+) on exit negotiations, drafting Particulars of Claim to secure a favourable settlement.
• Defended a hedge fund against a dismissal and bonus claim by a former employee, addressing a novel point of law concerning discretion not to pay a bonus during the notice period.
• Provided an expert opinion on English law regarding termination of employment contracts in cases of executive misconduct for use in multi-party US commercial litigation.
• Advised a hedge fund on strategy for exiting an underperforming executive and shareholder while defending against allegations of age discrimination.
• Advised a travel agency on misconduct and breach of fiduciary duties by its Managing Director, including expenses fraud and misappropriation of company funds.
• Advised the London branch of a Swiss hedge fund on terminating a director who held shareholdings in the Swiss parent company.

Business Protection

• Extensive experience in unlawful competition and business protection disputes, including confidential information, database rights, restrictive covenants, springboard relief, diversion of business opportunities, and team moves.
• Regularly instructed on urgent injunctions; appeared for the successful appellant in the leading case on interim enforcement of non-compete covenants, Planon v. Gilligan [2022] EWCA Civ 624.
• Acting for IFA firm Lowes Financial Management Ltd v. Gardiner & Greenarch Wealth Management Ltd against a competitor firm and ex-employee, where over 150 clients were taken; proceeding to a 6-day trial in Newcastle BPC in 2027.
• Representing fintech firm Stubben Edge Operations Ltd v. Stanvliet & Magma Labs Ltd in recovering stolen IP and diverted business opportunities; obtained extensive injunctive relief, including Imaging Orders in January 2026; proceeding to trial in KBD.
• Sole counsel in a covenant dispute raising undecided issues regarding the impact of TUPE on interpretation and enforcement of restrictive covenants; listed for a 4-day speedy trial in KBD in March 2026; settled against John Mehrzad KC and Georgina Churchhouse.
• Advised a shipbroker firm on a team move of an entire desk to a rival firm (spring 2026), addressing novel arguments about garden leave.
• Acted for defendants in the tech sector, successfully resisting interim enforcement of non-compete covenants and pre-action disclosure requests.
• Represented a food manufacturer facing a team move and theft of proprietary information; obtained springboard relief and an order for forensic search of computers and devices; matter settled in Spring 2024 after CCMC in Manchester BPC (sole counsel against Andrew Grantham KC).
• Hine LLP v. Jones [2023] EWHC 1708: Resisted an injunction to enforce a minimum notice period against a solicitor.
• Acted for the successful appellant in Planon v. Gilligan [2022] EWCA Civ 624 (leading James Green), a leading case on enforcement of non-competes by injunction, addressing principles of restrictive covenant injunctions, hardship as a defence, delay, and balance of convenience.
• Represented 10 defendants in an injunction to restrain employment at a competitor recruitment firm (unled against Daniel Tatton Brown KC).
• Represented eight defendants in a springboard injunction where a prior preservation of evidence order had been obtained without notice.
• Successfully acted for defendants in Parker Steel v. Barrett Steel [2019], advancing a novel argument on the effect of Reg 4(7) on enforceability of covenants where employees objected to transfer (unled against Jeffrey Jupp KC).
• Secured an urgent injunction for insurance brokers, including springboard relief, following a team move and conspiracy involving 12 employees and a former director.
• Acted for a former employee of a PR and communications firm in defending an injunction to enforce restrictive covenants, addressing issues of springboard relief, pre-action steps, and delay.
• Acted for the claimant media company in the first known injunction to restore control of corporate LinkedIn groups and connections, Whitmar v. Gamage Limited [2013] EWHC 1881.
• Contributed to Littleton Chambers’ response to the consultation on measures to reform post-termination non-compete clauses in contracts of employment (26 February 2021).

Commercial Litigation

• Expert in high-value commercial litigation, representing businesses, individuals, and stakeholders in complex corporate and commercial disputes.
• Regularly instructed in cases involving allegations of commercial fraud and misconduct, including misrepresentation, diversion of business opportunities, breaches of fiduciary duty, and economic torts.
• Provides outcomes-focused strategic advice and robust advocacy at all stages of litigation.
• Acting for Lowes Financial Management Ltd v. Greenarch Financial Management Ltd, representing a national wealth management firm against a North England-based competitor in a dispute over diversion of business and clients.
• Acted for fintech company Stubben Edge Ltd v. Stanvliet against a conspiracy of current and former employees to misappropriate a newly developed product and client base; obtained interim relief, including an Imaging Order and delivery up of stolen material (2026); proceeding to trial in KBD.
• Acting for Lux Films Ltd v. Fowler, representing a film production company in a dispute against a former employee and director; won claims including breaches of employee, directors’, and fiduciary duties, and knowing receipt; successfully established that a director can enter an unlawful means conspiracy with their own company; proceeding to remedies, including a constructive trust over diverted business.
• Represented corporate defendant and eight ex-employees in URM v. Wilson & Ors, a team move and conspiracy claim involving allegations of preparatory steps, breaches of directors’ and fiduciary duties, inducing breach of contract, and unlawful means conspiracy; acted unled (against Sam Neaman and Grahame Anderson); settled.
• Acted (led by Gavin Mansfield KC) for F3 Group Ltd v. Jackson Rowe Ltd & Ors, a housebuilding firm following a team move; allegations included conspiracy, misuse of confidential information, and unlawful preparatory steps to compete; obtained injunctive relief, drafted pleadings, and represented at various interim hearings, including specific disclosure; settled at mediation.
• Represented defendants in a team move to a newly formed financial advisory company, resisting springboard relief and Wrotham Park damages.
• Instructed by one of the defendant employees in Capital Markets Company Ltd v. Tarver & Ors, facing a £240 million claim in the fintech sector, including claims for economic torts and breach of copyright.
• Acted for a defendant employee in an alleged team move, facing claims under the Computer Misuse Act and for misappropriation of confidential information and breach of copyright.
• Represented a proprietary hedge fund against several former traders and a competitor fund regarding infringement of copyright and misappropriation of trade secrets, including trading data and algorithms.
• Instructed by a financial services provider working with retail outlets following a team move; advised on potential claims and availability of Wrotham Park damages.
• Advised a media and communications company after discovering a director used information stolen from a competitor to devise customer lists and marketing strategies.

Discrimination

• Sought after in high-value discrimination, harassment, and private equal pay cases, with 25 years of experience acting for both claimants and respondents across all sectors.
• Recognised for meticulous preparation and powerful courtroom advocacy.
• Leading junior counsel in Gitpod v. Burns, two substantial EAT appeals raising important issues on expert evidence and medical disclosure in disability discrimination claims; 2-day hearing at EAT in spring 2027.
• Acted for a neurodivergent FX trader in Portington v. JP Morgan, a £12 million claim of sex and disability discrimination (against Diya Sen Gupta KC and Kate Balmer); complex claims included a private equal pay claim against a comparator earning 4x the claimant’s compensation; settled on the eve of a 15-day trial (2025).
• Acted for the claimant in Ames v. MES Ltd and Others, alleging race discrimination and victimisation against a US-based financial services company; jurisdictional issues arose from cross-border corporate relationships; successfully defended the claimant when respondents attempted to claw back a sign-on bonus via statutory demand; case settled confidentially at the start of an 8-day trial (2024).
• Acted for the claimant in Koktenturk v. Genesis Investment Management (against Tom Kibling