A BLACKPOOL law firm sexually discriminated against and unfairly constructively dismissed the wife of its former senior partner an employment tribunal found this week.
Solicitor, Rosemary Landless, will seek a six-figure sum after winning her case against Roland Robinson & Fentons.
Mrs Landless, 52, qualified as a solicitor in 1982, marrying the firm's senior partner, Michael Landless, in 1990 having been in a relationship with him for several years.
She first expressed disappointment that an assistant solicitor, junior to her, had been offered a partnership in 1991.
When she pressed for a partnership position in 1994, she was offered a position as a salaried partner, with a declaration that she would not be a partner within the meaning of the Partnership Act 1890.
The firm's partners had claimed they operated a 'partnership in partnership' policy, which prevented the spouse of an existing partner from taking an equity partnership.
But the tribunal concluded: "Our finding was that the 'partnership in partnership' policy was a flimsy construct... It has been used to justify an unreasonable refusal of advancement to the applicant maintained over many, many years by the respondent. The partners appear to have accepted the strength of her case, and rather than deal with her straightforwardly by admitting her to the practice created an entirely special status for her as a salaried partner, giving her standing vis-a-vis the outside world but depriving her of standing within the practice."
In March 2002, at a partnership meeting, Mrs Landless was told she would be given an equity partnership if she paid for it, arguing that other partners had previously paid for such a position. Mrs Landless, who now works as Rostrons Solicitors, complained that her age and experience should allow her to take a full partnership without payment. She resigned the following month and left the firm on May 3.
The tribunal added: "The applicant had been delayed and subjected to detriment in her career progression from 1987 until 2001. No sophisticated comparison is necessary to make the clear finding that the applicant could not at that stage be given equal treatment by requiring her to pay £25,000 to rectify her anomalous position and become a full equity partner."
A further remedy hearing is to be called to discuss damages. After the case, Mrs Landless' solicitor, Michael Morrison of Hill-Dickinson, Manchester said he would be seeking a six-figure sum and added: "We are very pleased with the outcome.
"It was a situation not of her making and the result is a vindication of her decision to leave the firm and take these proceedings and she is obviously satisfied with the finding of the tribunal."
Roland Robinson & Fentons' partner, Clive Marquis-Carr, today refused to comment on the decision or the possibility of an appeal.
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