The Equality Act 2010 states that there are nine protected characteristics. They are age, disability, gender re-assignment, marriage/civil partnership, pregnancy/maternity, race, religion/belief, sex and sexual orientation. It is unlawful to treat a person less favourably on the basis of one or a combination of protected characteristics, than you treat or would treat another.

As a rule of thumb you are likely to have been discriminated against if you have or would have been treated less favorably because of a protected characteristic. Less favourable treatment can be direct or indirect, or even aimed at you because  you are perceived to have a protected characteristic or associated with someone who has one or a combination of those characteristics.

If the claim is related to work then the time limit to present a claim to the Employment Tribunal is three months minus one day from the date of the last act complained of. If the claim relates to education, services and public functions the time limits for raising a claim at the County Court is six months minus one day from the date of the last act complained of.

There are no limits in law to the amount of compensation that can be awarded in discrimination cases. Damages can cover injury to feelings, loss of a job opportunity and lost earnings and therefore can be quite large. In work related cases a Tribunal may order an employer to put a claimant back into the position they were in before the discrimination occurred or limit any further damage, but they cannot force them to do so. There is no legal aid and recouping legal costs from a respondent are extremely limited.

If we decide to take your case you will pay nothing until the case has been successfully settled. We will deal with your case on your behalf and once the case has been settled, we will claim 25% of what has been settled as our fee.