Who? Daniel Kindell, associate solicitor in the employment team at Morrish, Leeds.

Why is he in the news? Acted for 260 former employees of City Link, who will share an award totalling more than £1m after winning an employment tribunal claim against the collapsed courier company.

Thoughts on the case: ‘Thousands of ex-employees of City Link found out on Christmas Day that administrators had been appointed and redundancy was likely. Words cannot describe how they must have felt and what a shock that must have been. However, there was clear evidence that the company knew weeks, if not months, beforehand that insolvency was a very real risk. Had it complied with its statutory obligations to inform and consult, the blow could perhaps have been softened. Securing a judgment for the full 90-day protective award goes some way towards a sense of justice for all concerned.’

Dealing with the media: ‘Once upon a time City Link was a household name among parcel delivery companies and so its closure attracted a lot of media attention. This was not least because of the involvement of [City Link’s owners] well-known venture capitalists Better Capital and the prosecution of three former City Link directors for allegedly failing to notify the business secretary of the redundancy plans [all three were acquitted last November, in the first such action brought under the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act].

‘I hope the media attention in this case and others persuades employers and the government to look more closely at the impact of insolvency in future cases.’

Why become a lawyer? ‘As a joiner, my dad would come home from work covered in dust, looking weary and suffering from aching joints. He told me never to follow in his footsteps.’

Career high: ‘It would have to be winning this case. A lot of work went into it and it paid off.’

Career low: ‘The introduction of employment tribunal fees and their hugely adverse impact on access to justice.’

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