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Employment law brief: 16 January 2026

240108
In the month of self-improvement, Ian Smith tackles capability dismissals, notice period extensions, the meaning of ‘employer’ & a novus actus
  • The Court of Appeal in Bailey v Stonewall Equality Ltd clarified the limits of third-party liability under s 111, Equality Act 2010, holding that Stonewall’s actions were not a sufficient legal cause of Garden Court Chambers’ investigation.
  • Recent Employment Appeal Tribunal decisions underline practical pitfalls for employers, including when notice can be extended by agreement, the need to consider all available evidence before dismissing for incapability, and the importance of timing and process in unfair dismissal cases.

In the month that saw the final passage of the Employment Rights Act 2025—after a remarkable exercise in legislative ping-pong between the Commons/the government and the Lords, resulting in a climb-down on a day-one right for unfair dismissal and its replacement with a much simpler six- month qualifying period—the headline case in the press was Bailey v Stonewall Equality Ltd and others [2025] EWCA Civ 1662, which concerned an action by a barrister alleging discrimination against her gender-critical

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Muckle LLP—Stacey Brown

Corporate governance and company law specialist joins the team

Excello Law—Heather Horsewood & Darren Barwick

Excello Law—Heather Horsewood & Darren Barwick

North west team expands with senior private client and property hires

Ward Hadaway—Paul Wigham

Ward Hadaway—Paul Wigham

Firm boosts corporate team in Newcastle to support high-growth technology businesses

NEWS

NOTICE UNDER THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925

HERBERT SMITH STAFF PENSION SCHEME (THE “SCHEME”)

NOTICE TO CREDITORS AND BENEFICIARIES UNDER SECTION 27 OF THE TRUSTEE ACT 1925
Law firm HFW is offering clients lawyers on call for dawn raids, sanctions issues and other regulatory emergencies
From gender-critical speech to notice periods and incapability dismissals, employment law continues to turn on fine distinctions. In his latest employment law brief for NLJ, Ian Smith of Norwich Law School reviews a cluster of recent decisions, led by Bailey v Stonewall, where the Court of Appeal clarified the limits of third-party liability under the Equality Act
Non-molestation orders are meant to be the frontline defence against domestic abuse, yet their enforcement often falls short. Writing in NLJ this week, Jeni Kavanagh, Jessica Mortimer and Oliver Kavanagh analyse why the criminalisation of breach has failed to deliver consistent protection
Assisted dying remains one of the most fraught fault lines in English law, where compassion and criminal liability sit uncomfortably close. Writing in NLJ this week, Julie Gowland and Barny Croft of Birketts examine how acts motivated by care—booking travel, completing paperwork, or offering emotional support—can still fall within the wide reach of the Suicide Act 1961
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