236 GRAY'S INN ROAD, LONDON, WC1X 8HB, ENGLAND
- Tel:
- Work 020 7833 4433
- DX:
- 37904 KINGS CROSS
- Web:
- www.bindmans.com
- Email:
Bindmans Employment team shortlisted for The Lawyer Awards 2012
The Employment team at Bindmans LLP has been short-listed for the prestigious The Lawyer Awards, in the hotly contested Employment Team of the Year category.
Shah Qureshi and Nicholas Fry acted for Joe Hashman, a professional gardener, published author and lifelong animal rights campaigner against Orchard Park Garden Centre claiming he had been dismissed from his job because of his because of his beliefs about animal welfare and his active work to protect animals from hunting. The owners of the centre are prominent members of the South and West Wiltshire Hunt.
Mr Hashman won his belief discrimination case with the Garden Centre subsequently issuing a public apology and compensation for an undisclosed five figure sum. This was a ground breaking case where Bindmans successfully argued at the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal that animal rights and anti-hunting beliefs are protected by equality law.
It was one of the first cases of its kind to be heard under the Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003, designed to protect individuals holding genuine philosophical beliefs from discrimination on the grounds of their beliefs. It was also the first case to consider whether a belief in the sanctity of life and in particular anti-hunting beliefs are protected by the Regulations.
Shah Qureshi also successfully acted for Senior Executive and Environmentalist Tim Nicholson who claimed he was unfairly dismissed and discriminated against by his employer Grainger Plc because of his ‘philosophical belief about climate change and the environment’. This landmark case established that environmentalism or strong views on climate change are protected by UK discrimination legislation. The guidance given in that case and enshrined in the Equality Act was applied at the hearing in Mr Hashman’s case.
In a decision that could have industry wide implications, Nadine Quashie, a former dancer with Stringfellow Restaurants Limited, won her legal battle for employment rights. Shah Qureshi and Elizabeth Cape successfully acted for Nadine in her unfair dismissal and breach of contract case against Stringfellows. The case centred around whether or not dancers in clubs should have employment status and therefore employment rights.
Shazia Khan and Claire Ross are acting for Tutti First Violinist Sarah Streatfeild in a claim of discrimination and victimisation brought against the London Philharmonic Orchestra following her expressing her ‘humanist’ philosophical beliefs. Ms Streatfeild was suspended from the LPO after signing a private letter to the Director of the Proms at the BBC protesting at the invitation to the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra to play at the Proms.
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Tuesday 26 June at the Grosvenor House Hotel, London.
Full details of the shortlist can be viewed at: http://www.thelawyer.com/1012466.article
For more information please visit www.bindmans.com