Schona Jolly KC is renowned for her cutting-edge practice, working at the confluence of equality, domestic and international human rights, employment, sports, artificial intelligence and international law. She has extensive experience in leading teams of lawyers in domestic and international litigation, including in group claims. She is widely sought after for her strategic advice on litigation and policy.

Her domestic employment work includes complex whistleblowing, discrimination and equal pay claims. She acts for a range of (often high profile) individuals, corporations, civil society and institutions. She has many years of experience conducting large group litigation in which she specialises and leads teams.

Schona has developed a practice covering a broad range of international law. She has wide-ranging experience in international law, including in respect of international courts and tribunals as well as UN Special Procedures. She advises and litigates in matters relating to public international law, including on state immunities and extraterritorial jurisdiction, violations of fundamental human rights (including on genocide and crimes against humanities), business and human rights, employment rights, forced labour, minority rights and international sports disputes. She acts for the South African athlete Caster Semenya, succeeding in her European Court of Human Rights case against Switzerland in 2023; that case is now going before the Grand Chambers in 2024.

She has been a longstanding Panel Counsel to the Equality and Human Rights Commission, and their predecessor organisations.

Schona is Head of both Cloisters Human Rights Practice Group and our International Practice Group. She was Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee from 2019-2021. She is also a Visiting Professor at Goldsmiths University, London. In 2024, Schona will be an Academic Visitor to Hertford College, Oxford University and a Research Visitor to the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, Oxford.

She is also a regular speaker on her specialist areas, and she writes widely in the national media, as well as specialist academic press. She has experience conducting high-level, complex and sensitive investigations and is equally available to conduct mediations. She has a strong interest in foreign policy, rule of law and human rights. She has longstanding experience relating to the protection of journalists internationally, trial monitoring and she conducts regular human rights training in projects with governments and civil society across the world. She is multilingual.

Shortlisted for Chambers & Partners UK Employment Silk of the Year 2024

Shortlisted for Legal 500 Employment Silk of the Year 2024

Shortlisted for International Bar Association Human Rights Lawyer of the Year 2021

Advocate Pro Bono Lawyer Award 2021

Shortlisted for The Lawyer Lawyer of the Year 2015

Chambers & Partners 2025: "Schona does a really good job before the ECHR." (Civil Liberties & Human Rights) "Schona is one of the most hardworking and committed barristers at the bar." "Schona is a big hitter." "Schona's advocacy is absolutely impeccable." (Employment)

Legal 500 2025: “Schona is at the top of her game. She is able to balance compassion and care with fearless advocacy. She gets to the core of an issue quickly and leads with unparalleled expertise in this area.” (Administrative Law & Human Rights) “Schona is fearless - a hands-on and details-oriented leader. She is a superb cross-examiner and an all-round great advocate.” (Employment) “Schona is a delight to work with.” (Sport)

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

Chambers & Partners 2024: "Schona is astoundingly brilliant in her strategy, advice and advocacy. She prepares meticulously and leads her team brilliantly." "She is brilliant on her feet and a charming advocate who has a skilful cross-examination style.” "Schona's advocacy skills are extremely admirable, leaving her instructing solicitors and clients in awe. She methodically and systematically tackles the issues, while leaving very little room for rebuttal. She is a force to be reckoned with." "Very adept at thinking about how discrimination law applies in a developing context. A formidable person to have on your side, and clients really like her." "Schona is very impressive in her ability to digest and distil very complex facts."

Legal 500 2024: “A compelling advocate in court. She is fiercely intelligent, passionate and has an authoritative command of her brief.” “Schona slices through an issue with the highest of intellect. She is personable, collaborative, always sees the bigger picture and maps the best strategic approach with care and originality.” “Schona is a marvel to watch on her feet – quick-witted and able to deftly pivot according to the bench’s mood, while also being resilient and forceful when required. Her advice is always exceptional – structured and intelligent. Her tactical acumen is impressive.”

Chambers & Partners 2023: “Schona's pleadings and written work are extremely impressive." “She has a strong understanding of human rights and their application, and when there is no court to go to, finds strength in public advocacy." "She understands the need for progressiveness and matches the law exceptionally well to this - she is an amazing inspiration." "Schona is an exceptionally talented advocate.”

Legal 500 2023: “Schona is a superb advocate and very skilled at dealing with challenges - she really gets results. Clients love working with her.”

Chambers & Partners 2022: “She gets on top of the intricacies of the law and she is a skilful cross-examiner." "She wins over the tribunal with her style; she gets through what she needs to with a charming approach and she is a fearsome cross-examiner." "Schona is a keen intellect and a practical and yet creative thinker. She is a strong and unwavering advocate with in-depth knowledge and expertise of civil liberties and human rights with the domestic and ECHR frameworks."

Legal 500 2021: “She is fiercely intelligent and uses her formidable intellect to pursue the best practical outcome for her clients. A creative thinker, she is able to think outside the box to devise avenues of argument to get the best outcome.” “A deadly cross-examiner, she achieves things other silks simply can't pull off; her advocacy is very convincing and she is able to read the judge perfectly, knowing when to focus on a point and when to move on.”

Chambers & Partners 2021: "She has exceptionally good client management skills and draws on her experience with great aplomb." "She is an extraordinary legal brain and strategist who brings passion and diligence to a case." "She's very good at getting to grips with the detail quickly, is superb at cross-examination and her submissions are excellent."

Legal 500 2020: "A very impressive silk." "Excellent tactical acumen and highly responsive."

Chambers & Partners 2019: "Admired silk whose employment practice is bolstered by her human rights knowledge. She is a regular counsel for banking clients and trade unions, and was recently instructed in one of the leading gig-economy cases in the court system. She also handles complex discrimination claims." "Very good on her feet and excellent with clients."

Legal 500 2019: "A rare talent who approaches every challenge with an open mind." "Creative and unafraid to use innovative arguments."

Visiting Professor, Goldsmiths University, 2021-

Chair of the Bar Human Rights Committee of England & Wales 2019-2021; (Advisory Board 2022-)

Head of Cloisters Human Rights group

Head of Cloisters International Law Practice Group

Council of JUSTICE 2014-2016

Memberships: ALBA, BHRC, Discrimination Law Association, Employment Law Association, ELBA, IBA, IBAHRI, JUSTICE, Lawyers for Liberty, Women in Sport

Member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission panel counsel

• Contributing author, Judicial Independence Under Threat: Edited by Dimitrios Giannoulopoulos and Yvonne McDermott (OUP/British Academy). ‘The Rule of Law Across the World: A system of crisis?’ (2022).

• Contributing author to OUP 'Equal Pay' (Introduction to EU law, Brexit and Equal) Pay.

• Contributing author to Sweet & Maxwell, 'Human Rights Practice' (on Article 9 ECHR).

• Contributor to 'Discrimination in Employment: A Claims Handbook', LAG, 2013.

• Co-author: Age Discrimination Handbook, LAG 2006 with Declan O'Dempsey and Andrew Harrop.

• 2004 co-author Consultation paper for Age Concern: Addressing Age Barriers: An international comparison of legislation against age discrimination in the field of goods, facilities and services.

• She frequently writes articles for professional publications, including European Human Rights Law Review and newspapers.

• She was a former associate editor of the European Human Rights Reports.

• Licence Special en droit Europeen, Université Libre de Bruxelles.

• BA Jurisprudence, Magdalen College, Oxford.

• Schona is legally fluent in French and also speaks high-level Spanish, Hindi/Urdu and Punjabi and has basic Arabic and Greek.

A selection across the range of some of her cases include:

• Caster Semenya v Switzerland (EcTHR) – international human rights, sports, discrimination (Schona is acting for Ms Semenya; having been successful before the Chamber, the case now has been referred to the Grand Chamber).

• Buttet v UK (ECtHR) – Article 6 and Article 14 on the extent to which the law of state immunity can prevent nationals from bringing proceedings against their own governments in the UK.

• Liu & others v Norway (ECtHR) – Article 8 on the right of Taiwanese residents in Norway whose residency permits labelled them as coming from People's Republic of China.

• (1) Timis (2) Sage v Osipov [2018] EWCA Civ 2321 (whistleblowing; acting for the intervenor Protect).

• Bou Simon v BGC Brokers LLP [2018] EWCA 1525 (Civ) (implied terms, breach of contract).

• Broadbent & (approx. 10,000) others v Police Federation of England and Wales (age discrimination; group litigation) (Schona is acting for the Claimants; having won at liability, the matter is now progressing to remedy).

• Adams v Scottish Police Federation (age discrimination; group litigation).

• Multiple gig economy worker status/discrimination claims as part of gig economy group litigation including Deliveroo riders, Stuarts and others).

• Moyer Lee and others v Cofely Workplace Ltd UKEAT/0058/15 (meaning of "undertaking" in ICE Regulations/Directive - employment).

• US v Dr Nagarwala - amicus brief in US District Court, Eastern District of Michigan (FGM, international human rights, discrimination).

• Smailes v Clewer Court Residents Ltd (Case No: B02BS101) (housing and premises, disability and equality).

• X v Governing Body of a School (2015) UKUT 0007 (AAC) (education/equality).

• Kemeh v MOD [2014] EWCA Civ 91 (agency, discrimination, employment).

• Carol Howard v Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis London Central Employment Tribunal, 30 June 2014, 1st September 2014 (discrimination/employment).

• Jivraj v Hashwani [2011] UKSC 40, Supreme Court (status of arbitrators, discrimination, human rights, commercial).

• Bikramjit Singh v France (2012) UN Human Rights Committee and ECtHR.