Alice Defriend

Alice joined Devereux as a tenant in October 2023 following successful completion of her pupillage. She is developing a busy practice in chambers’ areas of expertise, including employment, personal injury and clinical negligence, and tax.

Alice graduated from Durham University with a First in the LLB, and achieved a First in the LLM at the University of Cambridge, ranking first of her cohort in multiple modules. During pupillage she was awarded a Senior Scholarship from Gray’s Inn, the Inn’s most prestigious merit-based scholarship.

Before coming to the Bar, Alice worked as the Judicial Assistant to Simler LJ in the Court of Appeal, assisting on a range of civil appeals including in employment and tax law. She also worked as a Judicial Assistant to multiple judges in the High Court King’s Bench Division, where she predominantly assisted on personal injury and clinical negligence cases.

Alice accepts pro bono instructions where appropriate. She undertakes pro bono work for Advocate, having completed the Advocate Pupil Pledge.

• Employment

  Add to Portfolio

  As a pupil to Talia Barsam and Jesse Crozier, Alice gained extensive litigation and advisory experience, including in high value discrimination, unfair dismissal and breach of contract claims.

  Alice has provided research and drafting support in the following matters:

  • A variety of preliminary hearings, including for strike out, time limits and privacy orders;
  • Grounds of resistance in discrimination, unfair dismissal and breach of contract claims;
  • Assisting Jesse Crozier in advising a large employer on obtaining injunctive relief to prevent proposed strike action;
  • Assisting Alice Mayhew KC on drafting a complex schedule of loss for group litigation in the High Court concerning Permanent Health Insurance;
  • Drafting and research support in an EAT appeal concerning the justification test for the purposes of the Part-Time Worker (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000;
  • Drafting and research support in the EAT case Mallon v AECOM Ltd [2023] EAT 104, concerning the knowledge of disadvantage test in the context of disability discrimination;
  • Drafting and research support to Marianne Tutin in an equal pay case concerning the scope of the sex equality clause provisions in the Equality Act 2010.

  During her time in the Court of Appeal, Alice drafted the bench memorandum for PGMOL v HMRC [2021] EWCA Civ 1370, which went on to become the first case concerning the test of employee status to be heard by the Supreme Court since Autoclenz v Belcher.

  Alice is a member of the Employment Lawyers Association and the Employment Law Bar Association.

• Personal Injury

  Add to Portfolio

  As a pupil to Stephen Cottrell, Alice gained significant litigation and advisory experience in a wide range of road traffic accident, catastrophic injury, clinical negligence, fatal accident, travel and employer’s liability matters. She has experience in drafting pleadings and schedules of loss in high value claims.

  She provided research assistance for the Supreme Court case of Griffiths v TUI regarding expert evidence and the duty to cross-examine.

  During her time in the High Court, Alice assisted on clinical negligence cases raising complex issues of medical causation, as well as high-value personal injury matters.

  Alice is a member of the Personal Injury Bar Association.

• Tax

  Add to Portfolio

  As a pupil to Aparna Nathan KC, Alice gained a wide range of tax advisory and litigation experience.

  She provided research assistance in the Supreme Court in SSE Generation Ltd v HMRC [2023] UKSC 17, concerning whether parts of a hydroelectric power scheme qualified for capital allowances. She also provided research support in Murphy and Linnett v HMRC [2023] EWCA Civ 497, concerning the interpretation of extra-statutory concessions.

  Alice also gained experience of advisory work on behalf of both taxpayers and the revenue, including issues of: discovery assessments, residence and domicile, IHT/CGT/income tax liability under trusts, the TOAA provisions, the GAAR and Ramsay challenges.

  During her time in the Court of Appeal, Alice assisted on the following tax appeals:

  • News Corp UK Ltd v HMRC [2021] EWCA Civ 91: whether digital issues of newspapers were zero rated as “newspapers” for VAT purposes, involving consideration of the relationship between the “always speaking” and “strict interpretation” principles;
  • Target Group Ltd v HMRC [2021] EWCA Civ 1043: whether outsourced loan administration services were standard rated supplies for VAT purposes;
  • Eynsham Cricket Club v HMRC [2021] EWCA Civ 225: whether a Community Amateur Sports Club is a charity for VAT purposes;
  • PGMOL v HMRC [2021] EWCA Civ 1370: concerning the tax treatment and employment status of football referees.