Allison Bailey v Stonewall - Employment Tribunal hearing Thread 9

[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.

Then ask for the pin for the online access.

You will be contacted with instructions on how to observe the hearing.

When joining the live tribunal please choose a non inflammatory/offensive name, everyone can see it in the chat - This is a court room, please behave accordingly.

The court chat function is there for official court purposes, not for observers, please don't use it unless you have a technical issue.

On the first page underneath where you put your screen name, select the video and mic that are not crossed out (top option), this is the courts vid and mic.
On the next page select NONE on the drop down windows for vid and mic, these are your own video and mic.

You must be muted so as to not disturb the hearing.

There is also live tweeting from

twitter.com/tribunaltweets

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

Thread 5 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4548160-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-5

Thread 6 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4550451-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-6

Thread 7 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4551757-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-7

Thread 8 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4552521-allison-bailey-v-stonewall-employment-tribunal-hearing-thread-8

Allison Bailey - claimant

Witnesses for the claimant:

Nic Williams - Fair Play for Women
A Woman's Place
FiLiA
Kate Harris - LGB Alliance

Witnesses for the respondents:

Stephen Lue - barrister for GCC
Kirrin Medcalfe - head of trans inclusion Stonewall
Sanjay Sood Smith - Stonewall
Shaan Knan - LGBT consortium - on STAG
Leslie Thomas - barrister at GCC
Rajiv Menon - joint head of chambers
Maya Sikand - barrister at GCC and in charge of writing report on AB/complaints
Mia Hakl-Law - HR senior for GCC
Judy Khan - barrister at GCC

Current Witness - Charlie Tennant - Clerk at GCC

To come

Luke Harvey - Clerk at GCC
Louise Hooper - Clerk at GCC
Stephanie Harrison - joint head of chambers
Michelle Brewer - barrister at GCC at time, now left and a judge

Sorry to be a nag @ickkybut being irredeemably pedantic, I wanted an accurate order of appearance:

Allison Bailey - claimant (4-9, 11-13 May)

Witnesses for the claimant:
Dr Nicola Williams - Fair Play for Women (29 April)
Dr Judith Green - A Woman's Place (29 April)
Kate Barker - LGB Alliance (3 May)
Lisa-Marie Taylor - FiLiA (4 May)

Witnesses for the respondents:
Stephen Lue - barrister for GCC (3-4 May)
Zainab Al-Farabi - ex Stonewall (10 May)
Kirrin Medcalf - head of trans inclusion Stonewall (10 May)
Leslie Thomas - barrister at GCC (13 May)
Sanjay Sood Smith - Stonewall (16 May)
Shaan Knan - LGBT consortium - on STAG (16 May)
Rajiv Menon - joint head of chambers (16-17 May)
Maya Sikand - barrister at GCC (17-18 May)
Mia Hakl-Law - HR senior for GCC (18 May)
Judy Khan - barrister at GCC (19-20 May)
Charlie Tennent - clerk at GCC (20 May)
Luke Harvey - clerk at GCC (20 May)
Louise Hooper - clerk at GCC (20 May)

To come?
David Renton - barrister at GCC (20 May?)
Stephanie Harrison - joint head of chambers
Michelle Brewer - barrister at GCC at time, now left and a judge.
David de Menezes - GCC, Head of Marketing

Luke left Garden Court in June 2021 and is now a self-employed graphic designer.

I don't know whether to read anything into that or not. Self-employed graphic designer is a tough gig these days!

Talking again about putting Allison forward for cases with new solicitors to get her a foot in the door for a wider pool of solicitors.
So were there any other barristers in a similar position to Allison (after all work was slow that year they say) whose case load dropped as badly as Allison's did?

There is some evidence on the percentage drops and hers dropped the most I believe from memory.

He did most of the clerking for Michelle Brewer.

Does anyone know if Michelle Brewer will be giving evidence?

This is vital. Relationship with Michelle Brewer.

@nauticant I have amended the copy to pander to your pedantry.

She must be. I think her written witness statement has been referenced.

We think so, next week.

That's top-level pandering @ickky, thanks.

Is it (complete side issue) but interesting that the clerks have mentioned that Allison had less solicitors asking for her or giving her work in general as a defence. Is that ever explained in anything? Is that racism in a wider context in law at play? Sexism? Homophobia? Or issues with practice. Or just unrelated to any of that?

Well it’s something and nothing. It doesn’t prove anything, sadly.

I'm not quite as convinced by this fella, think there might have been some unconscious bias.

Oooh there's something in the background that he must be texting AB about?

MR in with a q!

Another good question from Martin Reuby

I'm wondering if all the GCC clerks are male.

MR - is he a panel member?

I do like Martin Reuby .. I'm imagining the gossip that must have gone on, he's doing the same. We all know what offices are like.

MR getting right to the heart of the matter - as per usual.

I think the equal most?
I think BC still has work to do to show that Allison was treated worse than other barristers of similar experience and with a similar client base.

Martin Reuby now with some questions

Of course it was just football, like in every other office in the world (not)

LuHa: we don't do office gossip. As clerks. In a chambers.

LuHa talks as though he still works at GCC, but he's not listed as a clerk
www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk/clerks-and-staff