Cunningham was born to Charles and Ann Cunningham, both of whom worked for GCHQ. At the end of her father's career at GCHQ, when he was 57, he took a sabbatical to train as a barrister. He returned to GCHQ, where he worked until he was 60 and earned his pension, then began practising law. Cunningham was raised in Gloucestershire, England. She had a brother, Giles, who died from suicide.[3]
Cunningham attended the University of Reading, where she studied mathematics before switching to the law programme.[3]
Career
Cunningham began practising employment law in 1994.[3] She is self employed working at Outer Temple Chambers.[4] She has said her practice litigating cases involving women's rights "reignited" her interest in law and her career.[3]
Cunningham was named The Times Lawyer of the Week in May 2024 for her work representing social worker Rachel Meade in a case finding that Social Work England and the Westminster City Council had discriminated against Meade based on her gender-critical beliefs.[4] Cunningham also represented Roz Adams in her successful 2024 employment tribunal claim against the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre,[5] and social worker Lizzy Pitt in a 2024 employment tribunal claim against the Cambridgeshire County Council alleging harassment related to her sexual orientation-related and gender-critical beliefs.[6] Cunningham counselled 'Sarah Summers' against The Survivors Network to secure the single sex services for women after trauma sustained from sexual abuse [7][8]. Cunningham represented nurse Sandie Peggie in Peggie v NHS Fife, filed in 2024, in which Peggie has alleged sexual harassment and belief discrimination against NHS Fife and Dr. Beth Upton, a trans woman and doctor at Victoria Hospital.[9]
In 2021, Cunningham's inclusion in a panel discussion on conversion therapy hosted by the Middle Temple LGBTQ+ Forum was the subject of controversy, with more than 100 members of the Inn, other barristers, and law students signing an open letter describing Cunningham as "anti-trans" and calling for the event to be postponed.[12][13] The event proceeded as planned, although Middle Temple offered refunds to those who no longer wished to attend.[14]
Personal life
Cunningham is married to Tim Pitt-Payne, who is also a lawyer.[4]
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