Arran Dowling-Hussey

Arran is experienced in advising Local Authorities in relation to issues that will (or may) be dealt with by the Special Educational And Disability (SEND) Tribunal. He has successfully opposed applications for leave to bring a judicial review application, arising from applications for Education and Health Care (EHCP) plans and has also acted where leave has been granted.  

Arran has a broad background in most areas of Commercial & Chancery including breach of contract/contractual disputes, sale of goods, intellectual property, company law, retail, traditional chancery, and dispute resolution. He has a strong commercial awareness and an understanding of the business needs of clients. Arran has particular expertise in construction disputes. He is used to dealing with instructions to move or oppose injunction applications relating to commercial and/or construction disputes at short notice.  Arran has secured permission for clients to act as company directors under s.17 of the Company Directors Disqualification Act 1986.

Aside from his practice in this area of law he is a member of the Council of the Society of Construction Law, member of the Adjudication Society committee responsible for organising their conference and was recently appointed to the advisory board of the Gujurat International Maritime Arbitration Centre (“GIMAC”) . Arran is an Adjunct Professor at University College Cork's School of Law. He is also a part time lecturer on Robert Gordon University's LL.M in Construction Law & Arbitration a postgraduate degree course which has been recognised as one of the top 5 master's degrees in construction law in the world.

Arran is an experienced employment  law barrister with a broad practice spanning contentious and advisory work across the full range of employment and discrimination law.

He is a former university lecturer in employment law. He has appeared in the Employment Tribunal and has acted, as off panel counsel for the Department of Health for employment cases. Arran is familiar with employment legislation in jurisdictions outside England and Wales in particular in Dubai, UAE, Employment Law DIFC Law No2 of 2019. 

Arran acts for both employers and employees in the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal, and in the High Court and County Court where employment issues overlap with contractual, commercial, or public law matters. Is frequently instructed in complex and high-value claims involving unfair dismissal, whistleblowing, discrimination, and TUPE, and is well-versed in managing cases involving sensitive factual and reputational issues.

He is known for a clear, pragmatic approach to litigation and advice, combining strong technical knowledge with a focus on commercial realities. Is often instructed at an early stage to advise on strategy, prospects, and risk, and is valued for producing concise, practical advice that clients can act on with confidence.

In addition to tribunal advocacy, Arran has extensive experience in drafting pleadings, advising on settlement strategy, conducting mediations and judicial mediations, and representing clients at preliminary hearings and multi-day final hearings. He is takes instructions  to advise on workplace policies, contractual documentation, and disciplinary and grievance processes.

Arran accepts instructions on a direct access basis and is happy to work closely with solicitors, HR professionals, and in-house legal teams. He is committed to providing responsive, user-friendly advice and is particularly adept at supporting clients who are new to litigation.

Areas of Practice

• Unfair and wrongful dismissal

• Discrimination and harassment (Equality Act 2010)

• Whistleblowing

• TUPE

• Redundancy and restructuring

• Restrictive covenants and post-termination disputes

• Breach of contract and bonus disputes

• Employment status and worker classification

• Disciplinary and grievance processes

Approach

Arran is recognised for being approachable, thorough, and strategically minded. He places particular emphasis on understanding each client’s objectives and tailoring advice accordingly, whether that involves robust litigation or early resolution.

Arran has considerable experience as an ADR neutral dealing with disputes between landlords and tenants over the operation of residential tenancies and the standard of accommodation provided by landlords. He has, as counsel, been instructed by commercial tenants involved in rent review arbitrations. Arran has advised a large private university in the London area in relation to a multi-million-pound dispute with their landlord. He appears in the First Tier Property Tribunal and also the Leaseholder Valuation Tribunal. Arran is presently acting for a freeholder in a £1 million dispute with leaseholders.

Arran is an experienced arbitrator and counsel for both domestic and international arbitration disputes. He is a member of a number of British, Irish and international arbitration panels. Arran is also included on the European Commission's list of candidates suitable for appointment as arbitrator & TSD expert in bilateral disputes under EU trade agreements. He has often been instructed to  obtain interim relief from either the applicable court or Tribunal during the arbitral reference. Arran is also comfortable moving applications to enforce an award. He has successfully opposed applications to have awards set aside and has been involved in many of the small group of cases in the Republic of Ireland that have been set aside.

Arran has been instructed in relation to significant Compulsory Purchase Order cases.

Alongside  his practice as counsel and arbitrator in sports law cases Arran regularly writes on this topic having recently contributed to Lexis PSL & MENA Business Law Review. Arran regularly sits as the legal chair of Football Association of Ireland ('FAI') disciplinary panels. 

Arran has acted as counsel for parties in a wide range of construction disputes. He is comfortable dealing with delay and negligence issues and design faults. Arran is familiar with issues involving high rise blocks of residential local authority housing. As counsel he has acted for employer, contractor and members of the design team. He has been Instructed by law firms and legal departments, to represent construction companies, builders/ contractors, London Borough Councils, City and Local Authority Councils across England & Wales on matters involving sums of up to £50 million.

Arran also acts as Conciliator, Adjudicator and Arbitrator on construction cases in the UK and Internationally. He is a member of the TECBAR panel of arbitrators. 

His construction practice, whether as counsel/ ADR neutral, is multi-jurisdictional. He has a particular focus on the UAE and GCC region, Hong Kong, where he is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Construction Adjudicators - FHKICAdj and the BVI. 

Arran is a part time lecturer on Robert Gordon University’s LL.M in construction & arbitration. He regularly writes construction and property related articles on current and emerging topics. He presents construction related seminars both online, and in person. and is regularly invited to speak at major ADR events in London and internationally. Arran is a member of the Council of the Society of Construction Law and the Council of the European Society of Construction Law.