SERVICE

Discrimination and Equality Advice for Employers

Key contact

Morton Fraser Senior Associate Sarah Gilzean
Sarah Gilzean
Partner
Sarah is a Partner in our Employment Law team.
0131 247 1157

Within our employment team we have a specialist discrimination and equality team that has an excellent track record of successfully defending discrimination claims for our employer clients. Sarah Gilzean leads our discrimination and equality practice and is one of only 6 discrimination experts in Scotland accredited by the Law Society of Scotland. Sarah is also Convenor of the Law Society's Equalities Subcommittee and Secretary of the Scottish Discrimination Law Association.

Benefits we bring to your business 

In terms of the Equality Act, discrimination is unlawful where it is on the grounds of sex, gender re-assignment, pregnancy/maternity, race, disability, age, sexual orientation or religion and belief. There is no limit on the amount of compensation that can be awarded for unlawful discrimination by an Employment Tribunal and a discrimination claim is a significant risk for employers in terms of costs, management time and reputational damage.

If a discrimination claim has been made against you then we will advise you on prospects, financial exposure and strategy as well as representing you before the employment tribunal. We can also help you to negotiate a settlement on the best possible terms, if that is your preference. In the event that the decision is made to proceed to the employment tribunal then our expert discrimination lawyers based in Edinburgh and Glasgow will robustly defend your position.

As well as advising on discrimination claims we also provide advice on day to day issues, such as absence management, which may have discrimination implications.

We also provide training for employers to minimise the risk of a discrimination claim and to put you in the best position to defend a claim if one is raised against your organisation.

Subscribe to our quarterly Equality News for all the latest developments on discrimination and equality issues by emailing sarah.gilzean@morton-fraser.com

Why choose Morton Fraser? 

We have more Law Society of Scotland accredited employment law specialists than any other team in Scotland. The team is rated by both Chambers & Partners and Legal 500 as one of the best in Scotland.

Our approach to fees 

As well as providing clear advice we guarantee that we will be transparent on costs.

We offer fixed fee packages for advising on discrimination issues including fixed fees for defending Employment Tribunal claims. If it is not possible to provide a fixed fee then we will provide a clear indication of the likely fee based on an agreed scope of work.