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29 July 2011 / Ian Smith
Issue: 7476 / Categories: Features , Tribunals , Disciplinary&grievance procedures , Employment
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Fight for the right

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Ian Smith enters into the tussle between employment law & human rights

The column this month is, unusually, devoted to only one case. There are currently an unusual number of cases on employment law before the Supreme Court. One very important one on whether and, if so, when “loss of career” damages may be awarded in a common law action was heard towards the end of June (Edwards v Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Trust) and its result is awaited with a mixture of fascination and trepidation. In the meantime, we have had the first judgment in the forthcoming series of them, concerning the always controversial area of the interaction of employment law and human rights law, this time in the context of rights to representation before internal disciplinary hearings.

The question of representation

R (G) v Governors of X School [2011] UKSC 30, [2011] All ER (D) 220 (Jun) is the much awaited Supreme Court decision on the question which has arisen in the last couple

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Winckworth Sherwood—Charlotte Coleman & Qaisar Sheikh

Winckworth Sherwood—Charlotte Coleman & Qaisar Sheikh

Two promoted to partner in property litigation and education teams

Dorsey & Whitney LLP—Peter Knust

Dorsey & Whitney LLP—Peter Knust

Cross-border finance and restructuring specialist joins as of counsel in London

Powell Gilbert—Callum Beamish-Lacey

Powell Gilbert—Callum Beamish-Lacey

IP firm promotes litigator to partnership

NEWS

From blockbuster judgments to procedural shake-ups, the courts are busy reshaping litigation practice. Writing in NLJ this week, Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School hails the Court of Appeal's 'exquisite judgment’ in Mazur restoring the role of supervised non-qualified staff, and highlights a ‘mammoth’ damages ruling likened to War and Peace, alongside guidance on medical reporting fees, where a pragmatic 25% uplift was imposed

Momentum is building behind proposals to restrict children’s access to social media—but the legal and practical challenges are formidable. In NLJ this week, Nick Smallwood of Mills & Reeve examines global moves, including Australia’s under-16 ban and the UK's consultation
Reforms designed to rebalance landlord-tenant relations may instead penalise leaseholders themselves. In this week's NLJ, Mike Somekh of The Freehold Collective warns that the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024 risks creating an ‘underclass’ of resident-controlled freehold companies
Timing is everything—and the Court of Appeal has delivered clarity on when proceedings are ‘brought’. In his latest 'Civil way' column for NLJ, Stephen Gold explains that a claim is issued for limitation purposes when the claim form is delivered to the court, even if fees are underpaid
The traditional ‘single, intensive day’ of financial dispute resolution (FDR) may be due for a rethink. Writing in NLJ this week, Rachel Frost-Smith and Lauren Guiler of Birketts propose a ‘split FDR’ model, separating judicial evaluation from negotiation
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