Rachel Crasnow KC is a leading employment and equality law silk, often appearing in complex and high-value cases, which frequently challenge the scope and limits of discrimination and human rights law.

Rachel specialises in all aspects of discrimination work as well as equal pay and whistleblowing cases. Her work often overlaps with regulatory and medical law, education and public law issues.

Rachel represents a wide variety of clients (including financial institutions, city firms, the EHRC, political parties, public authorities, charities and trade unions).

Some of Rachel's ground-breaking litigation involves the long-running and ongoing O'Brien judicial pensions litigation, where she had been instructed since 2009. She has appeared six times in the Supreme Court and twice in the CJEU in this case and continues to be counsel of choice for judicial office holders seeking to resolve the nuanced implications of the O'Brien judgment for their pay disputes in the case of Dodds v MoJ in 2024.

Rachel's equal pay work covers a wide range of sectors. She has been instructed in public sector cases in local government and education involving thousands of carers, school–based workers and female professors. Her private sector equal pay cases have involved the BBC, LLPs, care homes, trade unions and drama schools. She is currently involved in several of the long-running multi claimant supermarket equal pay cases.

Her specialism in whistleblowing includes challenging the Bar against such protection for judges using human rights law in the landmark decisions including Gilham v MoJ (the employment status of district judges and Article 14). She also has significant experience in NHS whistleblowing cases.

Rachel's other "status" casework includes representing foster carers at Court of Appeal level in their fight to be declared "workers" (see NUPFC v CO [2020] ICR 607) as well seeking to argue that post-Uber, foster-carers work under contracts in the seminal 2024 case of Oni. Rachel also has experience in bringing gig-economy cases for couriers.

Her disability discrimination expertise led to her appearing in the first Supreme Court hearing concerning s.15 Equality Act 2010 and disability-related discrimination (Williams v Swansea University [2018]).

Outside the employment sphere, Rachel appears and advises in equality cases on a diverse range of matters including from trans-discrimination in Girlguiding, single-sex choir membership, discriminatory dress-codes in London hotels as well as benefits discrimination against tenants. In 2024 she has continued to provide advice outside the discrimination sphere in a wide range of areas, from the interface of charity and discrimination law in a case examining discriminatory scholarships, analysing the implications of the Cass Review for school employees and advising on human rights implications of the 2024 Michaela school High Court judgment.

Rachel's High Court practice has recently included resisting injunctions on behalf of the Labour Party brought by a variety of individuals, confidential information cases and successful applications for civil restraint orders.

Rachel has long-standing experience in defending and presenting cases of professional misconduct for regulatory bodies including the British Psychological Society, the Labour Party and the GMC. In 2015 she was appointed a Police Appeals Tribunal Chair where she works as an appeal judge and adjudicates over high profile misconduct hearings for senior police officers.

Rachel sits as a Recorder in the family courts where many of the issues she hears and determines overlap with her employment practice, including sexual harassment.

Rachel sits as a mediator and is frequently instructed to mediate in highly sensitive disputes in areas from equal pay to race discrimination and religion.

She is sought after to carry out complex investigations where there are significant reputational issues at stake and is ranked as an expert in this field by Chambers and Partners who call her "one of the best independent investigators, showing huge tact and highly useful lateral thinking to find solutions to difficult procedural issues with great sensitivity.”

Rachel is a long-term supporter of greater inclusion at the Bar and campaigns for diversity and well-being in the legal profession via pro bono work with the Bar Council and beyond, being awarded a Diversity Law Champion award in 2018. Her commitment to equality and diversity are further evidenced her nomination for a D&I Inclusion Outstanding Contribution award in 2022.

She was reappointed to the Equality and Human Rights Commission's Panel of Preferred Counsel in 2024 and also advises bodies in relation to EHRC enforcement powers.

Co-Chair of the Bar Council’s Equality, Diversity and Social Mobility Committee.

Nominated for a D&I Inclusion Outstanding Contribution award in 2022.

Awarded Diversity Law Champion in 2018.

Employment Law Bar Association elected Committee Member.

Member of the Bar Council's Equality and Diversity Committee.

Member of ELA, ELAAS, DLA. ILS and the Human Rights Lawyers' Association.

Shortlisted for Employment Silk of the Year 2018, Employment Junior of the Year 2013 and for the 2013 Chambers & Partners Bar 100.

Chambers & Partners 2025: (Employment, Band 1) "Rachel Crasnow has marvellous client-handling skills and clearly has the court's ear." "Rachel's witness-handling skills are amazing." "Rachel is a real client favourite."

(Independent Investigations, Spotlight) "Rachel is a standout expert who thinks outside the box." "Rachel is very effective, has brilliant legal judgement and reaches investigative conclusions with absolute clarity."

Chambers & Partners 2024 Band 1 Silk: "Rachel is an expert in employment law and the go-to claimant counsel for pregnancy and maternity discrimination." "She is a standout counsel… passionate and committed, and understanding the issues." "Rachel has a very cool head. She is an excellent advocate who is great under pressure as a very good strategic thinker."

Legal 500 2024: “Rachel is an expert in equal pay matters. Her tribunal advocacy is great; she really knows where the tribunal is going and can steer them in the desired direction.”

Who’s Who Legal 2024: Recommended for Labour, Employment & Benefits.

Chambers & Partners 2023: "Rachel is great to work with and excellent with clients. She is super responsive and really gets stuck into the detail of the case."

Legal 500 2023: "Rachel has great strength in discrimination and equality law cases, providing very clear and accessible advice on complex issues. She has a good strategic approach when defending complex and sensitive claims, evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of a case very quickly, and has great client-handling skills - clients immediately know that she's on top of her brief and fighting their corner, and appreciate her sharp analysis and pragmatic approach."

Who’s Who Legal 2023: Rachel Crasnow KC has built up an impressive practice, earning her a reputation as “a practical and supportive barrister” who is “active in taking on difficult discrimination cases”.

Chambers & Partners 2022: "She is a really good advocate: she is succinct, she cuts to the chase, she is appealing to judges, and she is clever, knowledgeable and experienced in employment law." "Despite being really busy, she is super responsive and insightful."

Legal 500 2022: "Calm under pressure, quick on the uptake, client friendly, and engaging."

Who's Who Legal 2022: "Rachel Crasnow QC is celebrated as one of the most experienced employment lawyers in the market and gains recognition for her expert handling of whistle-blowing issues."

Chambers & Partners 2021: "She's very calm, very insightful and has a huge amount of experience." "She is really bright, tactical and good with clients; she's the all-round package."

Legal 500 2021: "Excellent with clients; they really engage with her, and she has the ear of the court and its respect. She can disseminate facts quickly and make instant decisions, and makes complex facts simple."

Chambers & Partners 2020: "She's absolutely fantastic: she has a really impressive manner and the gravitas to make her point very effectively." "She's someone who just lives, breathes and eats employment law."

Legal 500 2020: "Incredibly knowledgeable on all things discrimination and very constructive and commercial in her approach."

Chambers & Partners 2019: "Acts across the full gamut of employment law and has a particular aptitude for discrimination cases. She is often instructed by clients in the banking, media, healthcare and education sectors." "Creative and fantastically hard-working." "Client-friendly and pragmatic."

Legal 500 2019: “She is 100% committed to getting the right outcome for the client.”

Chambers & Partners 2018: “Always 150% committed to the case; clients warm to her caring manner and are impressed by her shrewd cross-examination style.”

Chambers & Partners 2017: "a gutsy advocate who is good on her feet and provides excellent tactical advice"; "very knowledgeable"; "a very strong reputation in the disability discrimination field"; "killer cross-examination skills” and “an unflappable nature in the courtroom".

Legal 500 2017: “Pragmatic and persuasive.”

Co-Chair of Bar Council Equality, Diversity and Social Mobility Committee.

Recorder.

Police Appeals Tribunal Chairman.

Legal Advisor to the United Kingdom Board for Health Care Chaplaincy (UKBHC).

Employment Law Bar Association elected Committee Member.

Member of ELA, ELAAS, DLA. ILS and the Human Rights Lawyers' Association.

Shortlisted for Employment Junior of the Year 2013 and for the 2013 Chambers & Partners Bar 100.

Member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission panel counsel.

Publications

Editor and co-author of Family Rights in Employment Law (Jordans, 2012)

Co-author with Robin Allen QC and Anna Beale of Employment Law and Human Rights (OUP 3rd edition 2018)

Co-author of Blackstone's Guide to the Equality Act (3rd ed OUP 2021)

Co-author of Supreme Court Yearbook 2020

Contributor and editor to Bullen, Leake and Jacob: Human Rights and ECJ sections

Early editor of the Educational Law Journal's Case Commentaries

Training

Rachel is a much sought-after speaker and lectures in the UK and internationally, including to lawyers and jurists at the prestigious European Commission funded European Rights Academy. Her many regular speaking engagements include the annual TUC/EOR Discrimination Law Conference, the ILS Spring Conference and the 22 QCs conference.

Rachel gave evidence to the House of Lords Select Committee on the Equality Act 2010 and Disability on behalf of the Bar Council in September 2015 arising from her expertise in disability discrimination law: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201516/ldselect/ldeqact/117/117.pdf.

She addressed the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sex Equality on the EU Withdrawal Bill in September 2017. Recent talks have been around the topic of positive action, NDAs, harassment, dress codes, flexible working and parental leave, diversity and the Prevent Duty as well as post Brexit employment issues and has written the Bar Council's Positive Action Guidance.

Rachel is a co-editor of the Cloisters Covid-19 Back to Work Toolkit as well as acting for and advising employees, employers and Government in matters arising out of the pandemic.

BA (Oxon)

Dip (Law) City University

Neslen & Ors v Evans [2021] EWHC 1909 (QB)

National Union of Professional Foster Carers v The Certification Officer [2021] EWCA Civ 548 [2021] IRLR 588

Corbyn v Evans [2021] EWHC 130 (QB)

Howell v Evans [2020] EWHC 2729 (QBD) obtained civil restraint order against vexatious litigant.

Howell v Evans [2020] EWHC 2070 (QBD) defended Labour Party against application for urgent injunctive relief.

Rentrack Ltd v Green [2020] 9 WLUK 314 QBD confidential information injunctive relief.

Miller v Ministry of Justice SC [2020] ICR 1143 Supreme Court decide part-time judges can count all sitting days for pension purposes (pre-Part-Time Workers Directive).

Williamson v Formby [2019] EWHC 2639 (QBD) successful defence of Labour Party in application for injunctive relief: see here.

O'Brien v Ministry of Justice (C-432/17) [2019] 1 CMLR 40 | [2019] ICR 505 | [2019] IRLR 185 CJEU Court of Justice rule on part-time judges counting all sitting days for pensions.

National Union of Professional Foster Carers (NUPFC) v Certification Officer [2020] ICR 607 | [2019] IRLR 860 foster carers challenge question of status using human rights for trade union purposes.

O'Brien v Ministry of Justice (No.2) [2019] IRLR 185 part-time judges seek to achieve just remedy in pensions and discrimination case.

Williams v Trustees of Swansea University Pension and Assurance Scheme and another [2019] IRLR 306 | [2019] I.C.R. 230 SC Supreme Court consider what amounts to “unfavourable treatment” in disability related discrimination.

Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Local Health Board v Morgan CA [2018] EWCA Civ 640 | [2018] I.C.R. 1194 | [2018] I.R.L.R. 1050 CA successfully defended appeal on reasonable adjustments for disability claim including time limits under s.123(4) EqA 2010.

Gilham v MOJ [2018] I.R.L.R. 315 CA human rights and the employment status of whistleblowing judges.

O'Brien v Ministry of Justice Supreme Court [2017] I.C.R. 1101 judgment and reference to CJEU concerning how whether compensation utilised pre-Directive years of service for the purpose of determining judicial pensions.

Birmingham City Council v Bagshaw EAT [2017] I.C.R. 263 pre action disclosure in equal pay litigation.

O'Brien v Ministry of Justice [2017] IRLR 939 SC Supreme Court refer remedy question in judges' pension litigation to Court of Justice.

Moutrie v Ministry of Justice [2015] IRLR 264 appeal concerning medical members seeking judicial pensions and comparisons required under discrimination law.

O'Brien v Ministry of Justice (No.2) [2014] IRLR 440 EAT appeal concerning determination of the Year 2000 point appeal for judicial pension cases.

Dziedziak v Future Electronics Ltd [2012] UKEAT/0271/11 | [2012] Eq LR 543 being ordered not to speak in your "own language" amounts to direct race discrimination.

Miles v Insitu Cleaning Co Ltd [2012] EAT TUPE guidance on what changes to the function of the workforce mean in an ETO context.