Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination
Our highly experienced employment lawyers are able to assist you with any Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination claims. Opal Legal has been recognised as a Top 200 UK Law Firm.
What Is Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination?
Along with sex, age, race, religion and belief, disability, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and marital status, pregnancy and maternity are the “protected characteristics” detailed in the Equality Act 2010.
This means that it’s illegal for an employee to be treated unfavourably because they are pregnant or have taken a period of maternity leave.
Examples of pregnancy and maternity discrimination may include being overlooked for a promotion or being selected for redundancy because you have been on maternity leave.
If you have been treated less favourably because you are pregnant, because of a pregnancy-related illness, or because you have taken maternity leave or have asked to take maternity leave, then you may be entitled to bring a claim in the Employment Tribunal for discrimination.
Who Can We Help?
Our specialist employment solicitors have extensive experience in dealing with pregnancy and maternity discrimination, as well as sex discrimination issues. We can act for you if you are:
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pregnant or have a pregnancy-related illness and have been treated less favourably by your employer because of this
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treated unfavourably because you are taking or seeking to take maternity leave
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currently on maternity leave and your employer has not involved you changes in the business
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returning from maternity leave to find that changes have been made to your role and responsibilities
We can also act for individuals who have discrimination concerns but remain in employment and do not want the stress and uncertainty of resigning with no alternative job to go to.
Our employment lawyers are, therefore, extremely experienced in negotiating lucrative exit packages to facilitate employees and senior executives leaving their employment as an alternative to pursuing a discrimination claim.
In addition to maternity rights, there are other types of family-friendly rights such as:
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paternity leave and pay
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adoption leave and pay
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shared parental leave and pay
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parental leave
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carer’s leave
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parental bereavement leave
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time off for dependants.
It is illegal for an employer to put an employee to a detriment as a result of requesting or taking these types of leave, and if you have been disadvantaged in doing so, you may be able to pursue a claim against your employer.
How Can We Help You
Our employment team are specialists in dealing with pregnancy and maternity discrimination matters and are ready to assist you with your case, offering advice in clear, straightforward language.
This ensures you grasp your current circumstances and the subsequent steps to take. Our skilled solicitors are equipped to:
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Negotiate with your employer to promote a settlement or exit package
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Assist and navigate you through a settlement agreement with your employer, where appropriate, aiming to avoid the complexities of Employment Tribunal proceedings.
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Prepare necessary legal documentation should your case proceed to an Employment Tribunal.
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Advocate on your behalf in the Employment Tribunal, where appropriate.
Our Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination Experience
Recent examples of our work in this area include:
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Acting for an employee of a major retailer on maternity leave, negotiating with her employer to achieve exit terms when she was told she could not return to her previous role after her maternity leave.
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Assisting a senior executive of a major bank on maternity leave with negotiating a substantial exit package when she was told that her role was no longer available after her maternity leave.
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Advising a senior HR employee on maternity leave in relation to a potential discrimination claim arising from her selection for redundancy, securing a significant exit package for her.
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Advising another employee on maternity leave in relation to the right to be offered an alternative role because her role had been made redundant whilst she was on maternity leave.
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Representing various individuals in relation to claims for sex and pregnancy/maternity discrimination in relation to women treated less favourably whilst pregnant or on maternity leave, including claims resulting in significant payments of compensation.
Why Work with Us?
Our specialist team of Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination solicitors is described in the independent Legal 500 directory as “excellent” and are highly recommended in the Legal 500. Therefore, you can be reassured that you will deal with some of the best employment solicitors in the country.
Our Pregnancy and Maternity Discrimination lawyers can be strident and robust on your behalf, where appropriate, including when dealing with the largest of employers or professional organisations on behalf of our senior executive clients but also easy to deal with and clear in our advice.
We will fight your corner, and we always take into account the sensitivity of a situation and your professional and personal circumstances.
In particular, our employment lawyers offer:
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City centre standards of employment law advice and service levels due to our policy of recruiting only the best specialist employment solicitors from leading firms.
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Clear and straightforward UK employment law advice that is user-friendly, pragmatic and commercial.
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Extensive experience in advising various employees, including senior executives, directors and partners with complex employment concerns.
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A credible team of employment law solicitors that are used to dealing with and providing representation against large employers and law firms on behalf of our clients.
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A partner-led service and a genuinely accessible team of experienced employment law solicitors due to our size, structure and unique culture.
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Cost-effective support tailored to your unique employment issues and certainty on costs where you need it.
Testimonials
"Opal Legal Services has been a lifesaver for me. Their team of experts helped me navigate through a complex legal issue with ease. I highly recommend their services to anyone in need of legal assistance. Thank you, Opal Legal Services!"
John Smith
Contact Opal Legal Solicitors
If you have any more questions or would like more information, you can contact our Family Law Solicitors on: