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11 June 2021
Issue: 7936 / Categories: Legal News , Equality , Human rights
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NLJ this week: What has happened to equality law?

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Is the Equality and Human Rights Commission still fit for purpose? What has happened to equality law? Writing in this week’s NLJ, Geoffrey Bindman QC, senior consultant, Bindmans, investigates the state of the equality enforcer.

He highlights severe cuts to the Commission’s budget, falling numbers of cases assisted, investigations and inquiries, and a historic (until six months ago) lack of ethnic minority members. Bindman also questions some of the choices made by the Commission’s leadership.

‘Why, for example, did the EHRC fail to challenge the Home Office’s “hostile environment” which led to the persecution of the so-called Windrush generation?’ He asks. He notes, moreover, that ‘in the whole of its history, the EHRC has launched only two investigations alleging unlawful conduct’.

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Clarke Willmott—Matthew Roach

Partner joins commercial property team in Taunton office

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Farrer & Co—Richard Lane

Londstanding London firm appoints new senior partner

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Bird & Bird—Sue McLean

Commercial team in London welcomes technology specialist as partner

NEWS
The legal profession’s claim to be a ‘guardian of fairness’ is under scrutiny after stark findings on gender imbalance and opaque progression. Writing in NLJ this week, Joshua Purser of No5 Barristers’ Chambers and Govindi Deerasinghe of Global 50/50 warn that leadership remains dominated by a narrow elite, with men holding 71% of top court roles
A legal challenge to police disclosure rules has failed, reinforcing a push for transparency in policing. In NLJ this week, Neil Parpworth examines a case where the Metropolitan Police required officers to declare membership of groups like the Freemasons
Bereavement leave is undergoing a quiet but profound transformation. Writing in NLJ this week, Robert Hargreaves of York St John University explains how the Employment Rights Act 2025 introduces a day-one right to leave for a wider range of losses, alongside new provisions for pregnancy loss and bereaved partners
Courts are beginning to grapple with whether AI-generated material is legally privileged—and the answers are mixed. In this week's issue of NLJ, Stacie Bourton, Tom Whittaker & Beata Kolodziej of Burges Salmon examine US rulings showing how easily privilege can be lost
New guidance seeks to bring order to the growing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in expert evidence. Writing in NLJ this week, Minesh Tanna and David Bridge of Simmons & Simmons set out a framework stressing ‘transparency’, ‘explainability’ and ‘reliability’
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