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13 February 2019 / Shane Crawford
Issue: 7828 / Categories: Features , Employment
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Striking the balance or striking out?

When should the justice of case proceedings prevail over hardnosed case management practice? Shane Crawford investigates
  • On consideration of decisions during 2018, the Employment Appeal Tribunal has demonstrated that there is a fine line between firm case management and unjustified curtailment of the right to bring or advance a claim.

The steady increase in claims and the pressure on tribunals’ resources bring a sharper focus to the case management powers invested in judges during the preliminary stages of claims.

Robust use of case management powers in the hands of employment judges is a natural progression. On consideration of decisions during 2018, the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) has, however, demonstrated that there is a fine line between firm case management and unjustified curtailment of the right to bring or advance a claim.

Managing the issues

Managing the extent of the issues in discrimination claims: In Tarn v Dr Hughes & Ors UKEAT/0064/18/DM, [2018] IRLR 1021, the claimant was required by the judge to choose the ten ‘most recent and serious’

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

London Solicitors Litigation Association—John McElroy

Fieldfisher partner appointed president as LSLA marks milestone year

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Kingsley Napley—Kirsty Churm & Olivia Stiles

Firm promotes two lawyers to partnership across employment and family

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Foot Anstey—five promotions

Firm promotes five lawyers to partnership across key growth areas

NEWS
Freezing orders in divorce proceedings can unexpectedly ensnare third parties and disrupt businesses. In NLJ this week, Lucy James of Trowers & Hamlins explains how these orders—dubbed a ‘nuclear weapon’—preserve assets but can extend far beyond spouses to companies and business partners 
A Court of Appeal ruling has clarified that ‘rent’ must be monetary—excluding tenants paid in labour from statutory protection. In this week's NLJ, James Naylor explains Garraway v Phillips, where a tenant worked two days a week instead of paying rent
Thousands more magistrates are to be recruited, under a major shake-up to speed up and expand the hiring process
Three men wrongly imprisoned for a combined 77 years have been released—yet received ‘not a penny’ in compensation, exposing deep flaws in the justice system. Writing in NLJ this week, Dr Jon Robins reports on Justin Plummer, Oliver Campbell and Peter Sullivan, whose convictions collapsed amid discredited forensics, ‘oppressive’ police interviews and unreliable ‘cell confessions’
A quiet month for employment cases still delivers key legal clarifications. In his latest Employment Law Brief for NLJ, Ian Smith reports that whistleblowing protection remains intact even where disclosures are partly self-serving, provided the worker reasonably believes they serve the ‘public interest’ 
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