Lawrence v Barclays Bank Plc
Sheila represented Nazia Lawrence in her sex, race and religious discrimination claim against Barclays, in which resulted in a partial win for Nazia in relation to her boss' assumption that she no longer wished to be promoted due to her family commitments, which was found to be a sexual stereotype. A minority Judge also found that there were racial motivations for not promoting Nazia. Notwithstanding the majority not agreeing with this, the Judges were highly critical of practices that were uncovered in relation to the transparency of promotion and commended Nazia for her courage in bringing these matters to the Tribunal so that lessons could be learned in relation to internal issues that were in desperate need of change. The full liability judgement is available here The matter was also reported in the press, where Sheila's closing is quoted in Reuters and she is quoted in a second Reuters article and The Times (print version article on 22 August 2024). The matter was also written about in the Daily Mail.
It’s Raining Women streaming on Arte
Its Raining Women - a feature length documentary that follows one of Sheila's Tribunal cases - is currently streaming on the Arte network across Europe and is available to watch here https://www.arte.tv/en/videos/088022-000-A/the-glass-ceiling/
Alexandre v Open Reach
Sheila represented the Claimant in her race discrimination and harassment claim against OpenReach. She was one of 2 black women in an all white wider team of 20 people. The comments made upset her so much that she needed to see the case through. Discrimination cases often come down to who comes across as more believable, and thankfully in this case it was obvious once the evidence started to unravel. It’s just so wrong to be subject to a situation where you are at dinner with management as a black woman and to be told that black people lacked class. She was thankfully supported by a colleague at Tribunal who was similarly hurt and offended by the comments. Despite the discriminator’s denials, the Respondent's other witness felt “it may have been said I don’t know”. Coupled with a very unsatisfactory investigation process, we managed to get justice for Fignola and uncover what happened. The full liability judgment is available here: here Fignola says: "Having Sheila as my barrister was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. She is sharp, smart and knows the law and its various intricacies. Working with Sheila showed me how good legal representation can really make an impact. During what was one of the most difficult times of my life, Sheila’s empathetic approach to law gave me clarity around my options and the legal process. Sheila’s skills and services as a lawyer gave me the most important thing I wanted from my legal case, justice. For that, I will forever be grateful. I wholeheartedly recommend Sheila to anyone who needs her services as a barrister."
Rajput v Commerzbank
Sheila briefly acted on the well publicised Rajput v Commerzbank through her previous partnership Aly & Hulme Associates, until the dissolution of the partnership in spring 2022.
Sam Walker v Co-Op
Sheila has been representing Sam for the remedy aspects of her case, which have yet to be determined. Sam appeared alongside Sheila in "Its Raining Women" and having been impressed by Sheila's performance in other matters, retained her as Counsel in her own case.
Jeden Svet/One World Festival
On 30 March 2023 Sheila attended the Jeden Svet/One World festival in Prague as an invited guest due to her role in "Its Raining Women".
Kaur v Sun Mark Ltd and Others
Sheila represented the Claimant at her liability hearing, which she won on behalf of the Claimant.
Dehais v BNP Paribas
Sheila represented Xavier in his unfair dismissal claim against BNP Paribas, which they won.
Ramos v The Post Office
Sheila represented Walacy in his unfair dismissal claim against the Post Office, which they won.
Stacey Macken v BNP Paribas
Stacey Macken remains one of the largest tribunal awards ever made by an Employment Tribunal and is one of the most well publicised equal pay cases of recent times.