Employment Case Studies
High damages for age discrimination
We were approached by a teacher who had won an employment tribunal claim for age discrimination but wanted help presenting her claim for damages at a remedies hearing. We successfully argued that having being dismissed from her role of 30 years as a primary teacher at the age of 64, it was unreasonable to expect her to mitigate her loss by working in a non-professional role, nor was it realistic to expect her to start again in a new school as a teacher.
The judge accepted these arguments and accepted that she had planned to work until the age of 67. We were then able to explain the teacher pension scheme and illustrate the impact of her lost years of work on her pension. The judge was persuaded to order damages in excess of £180K.
Left to rot on suspension
Our client had been suspended from work and was facing a disciplinary investigation. During the course of the suspension his school had been academised and the new bosses appeared to have little interest in reintegrating him despite the fact that the investigation had uncovered no significant wrong doing. His union were advising him to simply resign and move on so he came to us for a second opinion.
We successfully negotiated better terms under a settlement agreement including a substantial payment and an agreed reference. As part of the discussion around that settlement agreement we ensured that the Academy undertook its obligation to assess whether in the event of the resignation they would have referred our client to the TRA. We assisted them to conclude that they should not.
Preserving employment
Our client approached us having accepted a police caution for the criminal offence of engaging in sexual activity in a public lavatory. We advised carefully about the need to disclose this offending immediately to his employer and how to do so in a manner that was most likely to lead to his contract of employment continuing. The client followed our advice and his employer was supportive of him.