Sarah Gilzean
PartnerSarah is an accredited specialist in discrimination law, one of only fourteen in Scotland.
Sarah is highly regarded in the sector as a discrimination lawyer and is Convener of the Law Society Equalities Law Reform Committee and a member of the Scottish Discrimination Law Association.
Sarah is also an accredited specialist in employment law and has particular expertise in equal pay and industrial relations. Sarah acts for a wide range of clients in the public and private sectors. Sarah also has particular expertise in the education sector and regularly advises independent schools in relation to accessibility, discrimination matters and parental complaints. She gives practical, easy to understand advice and is focused on achieving her clients' objectives at all times.
She regularly advises clients in relation to senior exits, TUPE and redundancy, disciplinary and grievance, contractual disputes, whistleblowing, discrimination, equal pay and industrial relations. She appears on behalf of clients in the Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal and is regularly asked to speak at conferences and training seminars on employment law and discrimination topics.
Sarah is ranked by Chambers for Employment Law and as a notable practitioner in Education. She is also named as a Next Generation Partner by Legal 500.
Areas of Expertise
Advisory Work
Employment Tribunals
Employment Law for Employers
Discrimination & Equality
Employment Law Training
Education
Employment Advice for Employees
Discrimination & Equality Advice
Unfair Dismissal Advice
Professional Regulatory & Disciplinary Law
Employment Tribunal Claims
Redundancy Advice
Settlement Agreements
Executive Dismissals & Negotiations
Article
Universities duties under Equality Act 2010 clarified by High Court
The High Court also considered whether universities owe a common law duty of care to students.
In 2022 a survey by the mental health charity Student Minds found that over half of students surveyed reported they had a current mental health issue, and one quarter reported they had a diagnosed mental health condition. The wellbeing of students, particularly their mental health, is a high-profile issue.
Article
Discrimination, harassment, victimisation and constructive dismissal: the cost of getting the balance between conflicting beliefs wrong
Over the past five years or so we have seen a number of high-profile cases confirm that gender critical beliefs are protected beliefs under the Equality Act 2010. Reported cases on this issue often contain similar themes: the holder of the gender critical view is in the minority. The issue is one that is particularly polarising with genuine offence being taken by those on both sides of the argument, and very strong views are held and expressed upon it.