Civil partnerships: Couples tell us why they want one – BBC News

Posted February 5th, 2018 in civil partnerships, equality, marriage, news by sally

‘Heterosexual couples might be able to access civil partnerships, as the government reviews the law that currently only applies to homosexual couples.’

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BBC News, 2nd February 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Case brought against ‘Little Mix’ promoter puts discrimination laws in the spotlight, says expert – OUT-LAW.com

Posted January 26th, 2018 in disability discrimination, disabled persons, equality, media, news by sally

‘A legal case brought against the promoters of a concert for one of the UK’s most popular bands highlights the risks to businesses if they do not make their services accessible to all.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 25th January 2018

Source: www.out-law.com

BSB to consider whether chambers need ‘work allocation officers’ to ensure equality – Legal Futures

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) is to consider requiring that chambers have a ‘work allocation officer’ as part of its Women at the Bar equality project, it emerged yesterday.’

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Legal Futures, 26th January 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Deaf mum sues Little Mix promoter in sign language row – BBC News

Posted January 24th, 2018 in disabled persons, equality, media, news by tracey

‘Deaf mum sues Little Mix promoter in sign language row.’

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BBC News, 24th January 2018

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘I began my career as a single mum’: female QCs changing the face of law – The Guadian

Posted January 22nd, 2018 in barristers, diversity, equality, news, queen's counsel, women by sally

‘Just 32 women are among this year’s 119 new QCs, but they hope their success will inspire others.’

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The Guardian, 19th January 2018

Source: www.theguardian.com

Michal Hain: Past is Prologue – The Role of History in the Law of Equality – UK Constitutional Law Association

Posted January 9th, 2018 in appeals, civil partnerships, equality, marriage, news by sally

‘The legal institution whereby couples express their mutual commitment, which is recognised, protected and regulated by the state – marriage – touches the most intimate parts of people’s lives. Its recent transformation raised profound questions of personal morality, human dignity, and religious doctrine. As the tide of public opinion turned, Parliament repealed section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 (which had prohibited the “promot[ion] of homosexuality” and the “teaching in any maintained school the acceptability of homosexuality”) in 2003, passed the Civil Partnerships Act the following year, and enacted the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act in 2013. The result is that same-sex couples can currently choose between entering a civil partnership or marriage, whereas different-sex couples cannot.’

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UK Constitutional Law Association, 9th January 2018

Source: ukconstitutionallaw.org

Brexit Custom Laws Could ‘Slash Human Rights’ – Rights Info

‘New trade laws, which could allow ministers to water down or repeal equality laws altogether, are being debated in the House of Commons today.’

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Rights Info, 8th January 2018

Source: rightsinfo.org

QC appointments remain male dominated, but women who apply more likely to succeed – Litigation Futures

Posted January 4th, 2018 in barristers, equality, news, queen's counsel, women by sally

‘Only 18% of applicants for silk this year were women, but they were far more likely to be appointed than men, it has emerged as 119 new QCs were named today.’

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Litigation Futures, 21st December 2017

Source: www.litigationfutures.com

Revealed: White students twice as likely as black counterparts to pass LPC – Legal Futures

‘Students from white backgrounds are almost twice as likely as those from black backgrounds to pass the legal practice course (LPC), a report by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has revealed.’

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Legal Futures, 4th January 2018

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

‘Race bias’ in justice system: Government to unveil action – BBC News

Posted December 19th, 2017 in criminal justice, diversity, equality, judiciary, news, racism, reports by sally

‘The justice secretary has pledged to implement a “key principle” of “change or explain” when racial discrimination is found in the justice system.’

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BBC News, 19th December 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

BME graduates “half as likely” to obtain pupillages as white peers – Legal Futures

Posted December 12th, 2017 in equality, news, pupillage, race discrimination, reports by sally

‘Graduates from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds are half as likely to obtain pupillages as their white peers, research for the Bar Standards Board (BSB) has found.’

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Legal Futures, 12th December 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Court of Appeal rules that claimants do bear an initial burden of proof under the Equality Act 2010 – Employment Blog

Posted November 28th, 2017 in appeals, burden of proof, employment, employment tribunals, equality, news by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has ruled that claimants still bear an initial burden of proof under the Equality Act 2010 (“EA 2010”), despite the change in wording in s. 136 as compared with the pre-EA legislation. In coming to this conclusion, the Court ruled that the interpretation placed on that section by the EAT in Efobi v Royal Mail Group Limited (UKEAT/0203/16, 10 August 2017) was wrong, and should not be followed.The Court also considered the distinction between matters of fact and explanation for the purposes of applying s. 136 EA 2010.’

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Employment Blog, 27th November 2017

Source: employment11kbw.com

‘Significantly More Vulnerable’: The Court of Appeal Explains – Garden Court Chambers

‘At [53] of Hotak v Southwark LBC [2015] UKSC 30, [2016] AC 811, Lord Neuberger explained that whether or not a homeless applicant was ‘vulnerable’ within the meaning of s189(1)(c) Housing Act 1996 required consideration of whether he or she would be ‘significantly more vulnerable than ordinarily vulnerable’ as a result of being rendered homeless. In the conjoined appeals of Panayiotou and Smith, the Court of Appeal considered the meaning of the word ‘significantly’ in this context as well as a number of issues relating to the contracting out of homelessness decision making in instances where the public sector equality duty under s149 Equality Act 2010 is engaged.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 10th November 2017

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Sexual Harassment in the Workplace: A Widespread Problem – Old Square Chambers

Posted November 23rd, 2017 in employment, equality, harassment, news, sexual offences by sally

‘Recent revelations in both America and the United Kingdom have shone a spotlight on the issue of sexual harassment and highlighted how common it is in the workplace. This is reflected in a recent survey carried out by the TUC: 52% of the women surveyed said that they had experienced some form of sexual harassment at work, nearly a quarter had experienced unwanted touching – like a hand on the knee or lower back at work -, and a fifth had experienced unwanted verbal sexual advances at work.’

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Old Square Chambers, 15th November 2017

Source: www.oldsquare.co.uk

All Born Free and Equal? How Equality Underpins Our Human Rights – RightsInfo

Posted November 22nd, 2017 in equality, Equality and Human Rights Commission, human rights, news, treaties by sally

‘Equality pops up all the time when we talk about human rights. In fact, the very first article of the UN Convention on Human Rights states that “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.”’

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RightsInfo, 21st November 2017

Source: rightsinfo.org

Liability of police misconduct hearings for discrimination – UK Police Law Blog

Posted November 10th, 2017 in disciplinary procedures, equality, immunity, news, police by tracey

‘The Supreme Court has held in P v Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis [2017] UKSC 65, that police misconduct hearings no longer benefit from judicial immunity in respect of discrimination claims. They also held that the Chief Constable is vicariously liable for the discriminatory acts of such panels. However, the decision related to an internal panel under the old regime when a misconduct hearing panel was chaired by an assistant chief constable.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 10th November 2017

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com

‘No coloureds’ landlord taken to court by UK equality watchdog – The Guardian

Posted November 8th, 2017 in equality, injunctions, landlord & tenant, news, race discrimination by tracey

‘The UK equality watchdog is seeking an injuction against buy-to-let mogul Fergus Wilson after he told his letting agent to ban “coloured” tenants because they left curry smells in his properties.’

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The Guardian, 8th November 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

Regulators can be taken to employment tribunals, Supreme Court rules – Law Society’s Gazette

‘Solicitors claiming wrongful dismissal can potentially hold the Solicitors Regulation Authority to account in the employment tribunal following a Supreme Court judgment which clarifies rules on bringing complaints against qualifications bodies. The long-running case Michalak v General Medical Council and others centred on a discrimination complaint brought against the medical regulator by Dr Ewa Michalak. The SRA intervened in support of the GMC.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 3rd November 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Black former Met officer wins right to sue for discrimination – The Guardian

‘Supreme court ruling hailed as gamechanger by Race4Justice, which says professionals in many fields will now get full protection of equality legislation.’

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The Guardian, 25th October 2017

Source: www.theguardian.com

A Guide to using Statistics in Employment and Equality Litigation – Cloisters

‘Numbers can be anathema to many lawyers. Yet statistics are a useful weapon in the litigation armoury. This week the Government released its Race Disparity Audit which provides a wealth of such statistics and is a timely reminder of the role that they can play in litigation. Tom Gillie discusses three recent examples of how statistics can be used to advance successful arguments in employment litigation and broader equality context, for example, in relation to the provision of goods, facilities and services.’

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Cloisters, 12th October 2017

Source: www.cloisters.com