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11 January 2013 / Charles Pigott
Issue: 7543 / Categories: Features , Employment
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The Winkelhof effect

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A recent Court of Appeal decision helps clarify employment law’s territorial scope, says Charles Pigott

The Court of Appeal’s decision in Clyde & Co v Van Winkelhof [2012] EWCA Civ 1207 is best known for its ruling on the status of LLP members, which, it said, cannot be workers for the purposes of the Employment Rights Act 1996 (ERA 1996). However it also confirmed the employment tribunal’s decision that a LLP member was able to bring a claim for sex discrimination against a London-based legal firm, despite spending most of her time working in Tanzania.

Normally, an adverse ruling on worker status would rule out proceedings in the employment tribunal, but the claim was brought under the limited partnership provisions in s 45 of the Equality Act 2010 (EqA 2010). It arose from the circumstances in which Ms Van Winkelhof had been dismissed by a Tanzanian joint venture for which she did most of her work, which in turn led to her expulsion from Clyde & Co’s partnership. The LLP argued, as a

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Harper James—Lottie Hugo

Commercial law firm announces appointment of corporate partner

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Carey Olsen—Patrick Ormond

Partner joins corporate and finance practice in British Virgin Islands

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Dawson Cornwell—Naomi Angell

Firm strengthens children department with adoption and surrogacy expert

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The winners of the LexisNexis Legal Awards 2026 have now been announced, marking another outstanding celebration of excellence, innovation, and impact across the legal profession
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’
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