Blog
The painful reality of the Sara Sharif case
Catherine Gee discusses the issues raised by the Sara Sharif case and the decision to publish the names of the judges involved. It is a sad day when a child dies, and it is truly a terrible one when this happens at the hands of their family. For Sara Sharif, this happened in a way […]
Case summary – Kristie Higgs v Farmor’s School [2025] EWCA Civ 109
Executive Summary This case concerned the appeal of an employee who had been dismissed from her employment at a school for posts she made on her Facebook profile. One post opposed the teaching that gender is fluid and not binary. The other post contended that same-sex marriage cannot be equated with traditional marriage between a […]
The walk of shame
Employment Tribunal decisions don’t normally make very good clickbait. But the recent case of Mrs H Selkin v Opico Limited, in which I represented the Claimant, is an object lesson for employers in the importance of considering the reputational damage that can arise from having embarrassing allegations set out in a public Judgment. Background The […]
CTA (Common Travel Area) Special Relationship between Ireland & the UK to live and work
Do Irish citizens need a visa to live and work in the UK post Brexit? Do British citizens need a visa to live and work in Ireland post Brexit? The special relationship between Ireland and England in the context of settled status mainly stems from the historical, legal, and political ties between the two countries, […]
Are we too reliant on sentencing guidelines?
“What am I looking at then?” asks a client charged with assaulting an emergency worker. A pertinent and reasonable question any anxious individual would ask – often before they have even pleaded. Thankfully, the Sentencing Council are on hand to assist and members of the criminal justice system will be all too familiar with the […]
Heather Platt successfully defends EAT appeal
Heather Platt successfully defended an appeal in the EAT brought by an autistic teacher against an independent SEN school: Ms K Kaler v Insights ESC Ltd: [2024] EAT 195. The former teacher was dismissed in 2018 for conduct for sending several emails over an issue in relation to her pay that were said to be […]
R v Jones Case Comment: Running diminished responsibility without an expert
Diminished responsibility is one of the partial defences available to those charged with murder. If a defendant is found to have had diminished responsibility during the commission of the offence, they are not acquitted but rather found guilty of voluntary manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. It is a highly complex defence that often requires […]
PCPs, indirect discrimination, and reasonable adjustments
The concept of a “provision, criterion or practice” (“PCP”) is one with which employment lawyers will all be familiar. It crops up in the statutory provisions which cover indirect discrimination (s 19 Equality Act 2010) and reasonable adjustments (ss 20 / 21 Equality Act 2010). It is easy to assume that the concept is straightforward: […]
Car v Pedestrians: The unpredictable issue of contributory negligence
On the 29 January 2022 the Highway Code was amended after an extensive consultation to strengthen protection for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users. These amendments enshrined the hierarchy that ‘those in charge of vehicles that can cause the greatest harm in the event of a collision bear the greatest responsibility to take care and […]
The new duty to prevent sexual harassment
Fergus McCombie discusses the reasonable steps which are likely to meet the duty and impress an employment tribunal. My colleague Louisa Simpson posted last week on the much-trailed preventative duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment, coming into force via s.40A of the Equality Act 2010. This follow-up article addresses practical steps towards compliance with […]
Interim Payments in Cases of Alleged Fundamental Dishonesty: Mehmood (by his litigation friend Mrs Islam) -v- Mayor [2024] EWHC 1057 (KB)
People may look back on 2024 as the “year of the elections”, or the year that football almost came home (again), or perhaps even the year of “brat summer” … For personal injury practitioners, however, 2024 may be accurately described as the year of fundamental dishonesty. The ongoing case of Mehmood forms part of the […]
The Young Persons Appointment Pilot
Alvaro Loxton (pupil) recently had the opportunity to observe a Young Persons Appointment (YPA) with his supervisor, Mark Ablett. This gave him an insight into how the courts are attempting to manage the strain on their resources and on CAFCASS. It remains to be seen whether this pilot strikes the right balance between efficiency and […]
