Recent age discrimination challenges highlight clearly that age discrimination remains a thorny topic for law firms. Although firms may have thought the finishing line was in sight when the Bloxham v Freshfields decision was published last year, it is apparent that there is still a long way to go.
Leslie Seldon, who spent 35 years at the law firm of Clarkson Wright & Jakes (CWJ), has appealed against the Employment Tribunal’s (EAT’s) decision that the firm was justified in mandatorily retiring him at 65; the EAT has just been hearing his appeal. The case coincides with the Heyday case in the European Court of Justice this month, which challenges the legitimacy of the Government setting a default retirement age of 65. While that default retirement age does not apply to partners, the age debate and its impact on law firms is still very much alive.
