Allison Bailey v Stonewall - Employment Tribunal hearing Thread 5

[ickky]

The Tribunal started on 25th April at 10am. If you would like to view online you need to send a request for access as early as possible.

Send an email to

[email protected]

The subject heading of the email request should read

“MEDIA OR PUBLIC ACCESS REQUEST – Case number 2202172/2020 - Ms A Bailey – 25th April 2022.

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Abbreviations:
AB: Allison Bailey, claimant
BC: Ben Cooper QC, barrister for AB
SW = Stonewall Equality Limited (respondent 1)
IO = Ijeoma Omambala QC, senior counsel - barrister for SW
RW = Robin White junior counsel to SW - assisting IO
GC = Garden Court Chambers Limited (respondent 2) (GCC would be a better abbreviation)
AH = Andrew Hochhauser QC, senior counsel - barrister for GC
JR = Jane Russell junior counsel to GC - assisting AH
RM= Rajiv Menon QC & SH = Stephanie Harrison QC (jointly respondent 3 along with all members of GC except AB)
EJ = Employment Judge Goodman hearing the case
Panel = any one of the three panel members (EJ and two lay members)

Thread 1 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4529887-Allison-Bailey-v-Stonewall-Employment-Tribunal-hearing?

Thread 2 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4542466-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-2

Thread 3 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4545725-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-3

Thread 4 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4546945-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-4

How many company diversity champions programmes have the management agreed to pay good money for? Is he saying he has no idea what they did but still the management agreed to sign up for it?

Yes. I'm interested in how edgy he seems, given his profession.

I dont find his arguments that the Chambers was full of activists of all different persuasions and therefore he wouldn't get involved. Surely, if true, that proves Allison was treated differently?

JR looks very hot and bothered - I wish someone would open a window for her

I'm not black but am aware that lots of black people complain that they are perceived as aggressive because of the way they naturally express themselves. He's also being sued. I think I might be angry under those circumstances.

Personally I prefer people expressing their emotions. I'm not a fan of middle class, stiff upper lip suppression.

But his display of anger here (and I think he is obviously angry, or has been at times) is unhelpful to him. AB only expected him to do his job.

I've just read LT's barrister profile and it looks as though he has done some incredible work advocating for victims of state and organisational abuse. I'm actually finding it really sad that he's kind of falling apart like this. It feels what happened to Allison happened under his distracted eye but not by his direction.

Poor JR does look very hot and bothered.

EJ is going to imprison them all.

I'm not black but am aware that lots of black people complain that they are perceived as aggressive because of the way they naturally express themselves. He's also being sued. I think I might be angry under those circumstances.

Fair enough, but it did occur to me to check my biases and I think he is being aggressive (raising his voice, hitting the table, etc) and it's in his inflections, I'd definitely think the same if this was only audio. I don't blame him for being angry or ashamed or resentful, but the way he's expressing himself seems injudicious for someone who must surely be aware of the performance aspect of giving evidence. Especially compared to Allison, who must be equally angry (although admittedly not ashamed).

Julie Russell coming a bit unstuck there and very keen to move on.

😂 Yes it is now G&T time.

How tall is Ben?? He looks enormous!

(Sorry, redrafted that badly, I didn't mean to sound snide, Jules).

Hmm, I think JR bungled that one, she was trying to claim that an email complaint is a complaint and a tweet forwarding on a screenshot of the email complaint is a separate complaint.

The possible snarling expression seems just a case of bit of an underbite and more prominent lower teeth than upper teeth.

Why did he have to read that out?

I am only listening, not watching. I had no idea he was black. He sounds angry and defensive. I think he realises he didn't investigate/take thing seriously enough. I think its also personal as he clearly was close to and respected AB.

Large G&T for EJ Goodman.

We could name cocktails after them. The BCQC, the IOQC, the AHQC, and the Juniors.

I don't know why and I think it is my biases at play but I'm from a working class background where people are naturally a lot more emotionally expressive and I find middle class buttoned-upness very difficult to operate within.

I very often am perceived as 'emotional' in a professional environment whereas I tone my natural communication style right back and yet I'm still further along a spectrum than most others who are less expressive.

I think he has expressed anger and frustration and defensiveness but then so did Allison. None of it has been inappropriate or uncontrolled to my eyes.

If they read everything out we will be here forever

Jane Russell (blame autocorrect)

I've just read LT's barrister profile and it looks as though he has done some incredible work advocating for victims of state and organisational abuse.

Interesting. I wonder whether he is very unused to being unsure whether he's got the moral high ground. I guess a barrister who sees himself as a crusader for right would struggle much more under cross-examination than one who sees it all as a game.

in a fee earning business such as being a solicitor / barrister, anything you have to do which is not fee earning carries very little reward and actually of course actively hampers the fee earning. The mindset of if it's earning money, it's a waste of time. It's not like a company with proper managers that are paid to manage, these barristers will be trying to manage around the edges of fee earning. And they usually don't even get any management training - In fact the good lawyers who get senior enough to manage are often some of the worst managers! They just want to fee earn and make money, which can then result in some truly lazy and ill thought through management decisions. I am getting the impression that LT was far too busy with his big important cases to really spend any time on this hence all the knee jerk off the cuff decisions.

Agree. I think he was probably busy with genuinely important work but as a result took his eye off the the ball at home. I don't think he has come across well at all, and it's impossible not to unfavourably compare his testimony delivery with Allison's.