The Chambers of Robin Somerville Ltd

When a serious matter lands on your desk, the quality of the investigation, hearing or mediation that follows will shape everything that comes after it: whether a claim is brought, the tribunal outcome, the organisation’s reputation, and whether staff and management alike can trust the process again.

I am a practising barrister and CEDR accredited mediator specialising in complex and sensitive workplace investigations, hearings and mediations, often involving CEOs, directors, board members and senior managers. In one forum or another I’ve been involved in over 10,000 cases over 25 years.

My previous cases have included allegations of: sexual assault and harassment; sexual relationships with interns and providing them with class A drugs; possessing obscene imagery of sexual violence; discrimination on grounds of race, sex, gender, disability and mental health, including by association; dishonesty and falsifying accounting records; exposing an organisation to multimillion pound litigation risk; inappropriate social media posts; bullying and harassment, including upwards, even witchcraft and putting curses on colleagues.

In addition to speaking at the CIPD Employment Law Conference, I am the author of The Workplace and Corporate Investigator’s Handbook and co-author of the forthcoming Judgecraft: Independent Chair’s Handbook.

I bring rigour, independence and credibility to workplace investigations, chairing hearings and mediations that few providers can match, giving you peace of mind if the matter is later challenged, and confidence that the process will hold up under scrutiny. That’s why I get testimonials such as “very high quality… worlds apart from a previous investigation… you will be the first person I come to. Very many thanks.”

If you want to hear about the lessons learned from my research across over 50 Employment Tribunal decisions where the investigation was criticised, listen to my presentation at Workforce Solutions.

If you’re responsible for commissioning investigations, chairing arrangements or mediations, and you want to engage someone whose findings will withstand challenge and offers fixed fees for transparency and protection, I’d welcome the chance to talk. Come and find me on the stand.

Address
330 High Holborn, London. WC2A 1HL