By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-10-01 09:01:13 | Updated at 2026-10-01 10:06:18
1 hour ago
An employment law barrister has been ordered to pay £7,000 in wasted costs after he joined a tribunal hearing via video link from a moving train in Germany, resulting in the entire day's proceedings being abandoned.
Michael Engelhardt-Sprack, who specialises in employment and housing law at Garden Court Chambers in London, connected remotely while representing a client in a case before an employment tribunal in Birmingham.
Noise from fellow passengers and an unreliable internet connection made it impossible to proceed with the hearing, forcing a reschedule for the following day.
The barrister, called to the Bar in 2014, told the tribunal that he lived permanently in Germany with his family despite practising in England.
His client, Shannon Burns, is a technology executive who lost her job after she fell asleep in a sauna following a night of heavy drinking.
Ms Burns challenged her dismissal at a tribunal and prevailed, with the panel determining that her male colleagues had also been intoxicated on the same evening.
She is now pursuing a £76million damages claim against her former employer, a company that has since come under the ownership of OpenAI, the artificial intelligence firm behind ChatGPT.
That claim is set to be heard at a future date.
Michael Engelhardt-Sprack connected remotely while representing a client in an employment tribunal case in Birmingham
A tribunal judge had granted Mr Engelhardt-Sprack permission to attend the first day of the hearing remotely.
However, the proceedings were delayed by 20 minutes before Mr Engelhardt-Sprack connected, appearing on screen wearing headphones as the train moved through Germany.
He assured the panel he could conduct the case, but the presiding judge concluded it was "not a suitably quiet environment."
Costs hearing judge Rachel Wedderspoon noted that "the background noise of other passengers could be heard" and that "the internet connection was poor and it was difficult to hear the representative above the other noise."
The proceedings were delayed by 20 minutes before Mr Engelhardt-Sprack connected, appearing on screen wearing headphones on the train
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Rather than seeking out a stationary, quiet location, the barrister opted to board a second train.
The hearing was ultimately pushed back to the next day, when Mr Engelhardt-Sprack attended the Birmingham tribunal in person.
Judge Wedderspoon determined that "one day of the hearing was aborted and wasted".
Mr Engelhardt-Sprack is described on his chambers' profile as possessing "extensive experience," with solicitors who have worked alongside him calling him "fantastic with clients" and crediting him with "encyclopedic knowledge."
Michael Engelhardt-Sprack specialises in employment and housing law at Garden Court Chambers in London
His case draws inevitable comparisons with that of solicitor Priyank Tanwar, who was struck off the solicitors' roll after deceiving a county court judge about his whereabouts.
Mr Tanwar claimed he was working remotely from London when he was actually in Germany.
The court permanently barred him from practising law and ordered him to pay £7,500 in costs.
Ms Burns's multimillion-pound damages hearing is expected to proceed later.
