Tag Archive for 'discrimination'

Page 2 of 2

Institutionally racist

By NL on 14/08/2008. 18 Comments

We are not institutionally racist. SRA October 2007

This is not housing law related, but it is of significance to many in the sector.

Lord Ouseley, the former head of the Commission for Racial Equality, was jointly commissioned by the Solicitors Regulatory Authority and the Society of Black Lawyers to conduct an independent investigation into the SRA’s treatment of BME solicitors and firms, in a perhaps belated response to repeated complaints that BME firms were disproportionately targeted for interventions and that complaints and disciplinary proceedings were also handled in a discriminatory way. Even at the level of referrals of law students for character or suitability assessments, black and asian … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , , , , .

On the naughty step

By NL on 26/05/2008. 0 Comments

On the very crowded naughty step this week are the Solicitors Regulation Authority, the Law Society and, umm, firms of solicitors in general.

Shahrokh Mireskrandari, senior partner of Dean and Dean, has launched a claim for £10 million against the SRA and the Law Society at an employment tribunal, alleging racial and religious discrimination, harassment and victimisation by pursuing ‘numerous’ complaints against the firm over the last 5 years, only one of which produced a, minor, adverse finding. He accuses the Society and SRA of acting

unjustifiably, oppressively, disproportionately and outside their powers.

Meanwhile the SRA has, under pressure, set up a working party to investigate why 62.8% of interventions … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , , , .

Disability discrimination – the comparator

By NL on 20/01/2008. 0 Comments

Table of contents for Disability Discrimination

  1. Catching up – Disability Discrimination and possession
  2. Disability and tenancy – More on Malcolm
  3. On impotent landlords and disability.
  4. Disability discrimination – the comparator
  5. DDA and mandatory possession
  6. S v Floyd and a disability defence
  7. Adjourning pending Malcolm in the Lords
  8. And now Malcolm!
  9. Malcolm in brief
  10. Comments on Malcolm in the Lords

Following on from the previous post, and the detailed discussions that took place in the comments to that post, I wanted to try to clarify for myself the key element of establishing discrimination, which hopefully may be of use for others. In particular, I want to address who is the … Read the full post

Posted in Housing law - All, Possession and secure-tenancy. Tags: , , , , , , , .

Equal Pay and Moral Dilemmas?

By NL on 02/01/2008. 2 Comments

This story rumbles on, with several features in today’s Guardian, here, here, and here. The paper sees fit to pitch it as something of a moral dilemma, before finally plumping for one side.

The terms of the ‘dilemma’ go something like this.

Very large numbers of women, working for local authorities and schools, usually at the low paid end of the scale, turn out to have been unlawfully paid less than male comparators for many years. Quite how many is still not known because only 47% of Councils have completed pay reviews, despite a deadline of March 2007. However, the Local Government Employers organisation estimate that the … Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , , .

Stop Equal Pay Claims – EOC

By NL on 22/09/2007. 2 Comments

I was, to put it demotically, gobsmacked by the content of a ‘warning’ from the Equal Opportunities Commission that the Employment Tribunal system is creaking under the weight of claims brought by those naughty ‘no win no fee’ solicitors. When they have exhausted the public sector, says Chair Jenny Watson, they will turn on the private sector.

And now the truly jaw dropping part:

The majority of cases involve local authorities, but the commission says the private sector is just as vulnerable to claims.

It warns that “no win, no fee” lawyers will continue to fuel the number of women challenging employers. The commission suggests a new system in which

… Read the full post

Posted in Various (non-housing). Tags: , , , .

Disability and tenancy – More on Malcolm

By NL on 15/09/2007. 19 Comments

Table of contents for Disability Discrimination

  1. Catching up – Disability Discrimination and possession
  2. Disability and tenancy – More on Malcolm
  3. On impotent landlords and disability.
  4. Disability discrimination – the comparator
  5. DDA and mandatory possession
  6. S v Floyd and a disability defence
  7. Adjourning pending Malcolm in the Lords
  8. And now Malcolm!
  9. Malcolm in brief
  10. Comments on Malcolm in the Lords

I posted on Lewisham v Malcolm ten days ago. Since then a couple of commentors have raised issues and Tessa has posted on the implications of the case at Landlord Law. So it seemed worth a further look. The caveat is that what follows is my understanding of the Judgment … Read the full post

Posted in Housing law - All and Possession. Tags: , , , , .

Catching up – Disability Discrimination and possession

By NL on 04/09/2007. 9 Comments

Table of contents for Disability Discrimination

  1. Catching up – Disability Discrimination and possession
  2. Disability and tenancy – More on Malcolm
  3. On impotent landlords and disability.
  4. Disability discrimination – the comparator
  5. DDA and mandatory possession
  6. S v Floyd and a disability defence
  7. Adjourning pending Malcolm in the Lords
  8. And now Malcolm!
  9. Malcolm in brief
  10. Comments on Malcolm in the Lords

Time for some substantive law at last. I missed this one while I was on holiday and have just had it brought to my attention.

LB Lewisham -v- Malcolm & Disability Rights Commission (Intervener) [2007] EWCA Civ 763. A very interesting case on the application of the Disability Discrimination Act … Read the full post

Posted in FLW case note, Housing law - All and Possession. Tags: , , , , .
row of sheds footer image
2 pages