‘Harassment’ doesn’t exist as a free-standing employment claim in the UK. To successfully claim harassment in an employment tribunal, an employee needs to be able to show that the harassment was ‘related to’ a protected characteristic. That is not to say that the employee is required to show that the harassment was ‘because of’ the protected characteristic. The causal bar is not set that high. But some linking factor is required. The relevant protected characteristics for harassment are: sex, sexual orientation, race, religion or belief, disability, age and gender reassignment.
AI applications such as ChatGPT have, over the last 12 months or so, become an important tool in improving business efficiency. However, a recent tribunal judgment indicates that it is not just employers who are taking advantage of AI. It was recently credited with encouraging a serial litigant in a disability discrimination claim against a prospective employer.
Employees with over two years’ service have the right not to be unfairly dismissed. This means that if an employer wants to end an employee’s employment fairly once they have two years’ service, then they need to be able to point to a ‘fair reason’ and show that they acted reasonably in relying on that reason to dismiss.
Maggie joined Bermans in 2005 as an Office Junior and in 2024 joined the Asset Based Lending team as a Litigation Assistant. Maggie started her career at Bermans as an Office Junior before becoming a Legal Secretary, a role in which she which she stayed in for many years. Maggie predominantly deals with prelegal correspondence and process driven claims and enforcement.
Bermans Jon Davage and Laura McMorland recently advised the management team at Clarion Wealth Planning Limited on its management ownership transaction.
Olivia joined Bermans in October 2024 and is Property Finance Paralegal in our Property team based in Liverpool.
She assists with property finance transactions, including but not limited to, bridging finance deals, re-finances, buy-to-let investment acquisitions and sales.
Olivia studied Business Management The University of Liverpool before completing her LLM degree.
Outside of work, Olivia enjoys cooking, reading, playing the piano.
Giulia joined Bermans in September 2024 and is a Paralegal in our ABL team based in Manchester.
Giulia assists with a wide range of asset finance and invoice transactions for lenders and financial institutions.
She has a background in banking and finance law sector from her time spent at an Italian law firm, complemented by in-house paralegal experience at a London-based software company.
She completed her law studies at the University of Bologna– Alma Mater Studiorum – in Italy and qualified as an Italian lawyer in 2011.
Outside of work, Giulia enjoys travelling to sunny, nature-rich destinations, as well as attending live music events and spending time with her family.
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