An employment tribunal has ruled in favour of Sandra Moody, a black higher-level teaching assistant, who successfully proved race discrimination, harassment and unfair dismissal after being accused of having an “angry face” and intimidating pupils at a Southwark primary school. The tribunal found that complaints about her tone and facial expression were vague, exaggerated and influenced by negative racial stereotypes, with similar behaviour by white colleagues not scrutinised

Following the successful conclusion of the Tom James v Max Potter case in the High Court last month, Constantine Law Managing Partner, John Hayes, writes for The Times today (11 December) about the ease with which interim employment injunctions are granted in the High Court. John points out that this practice of “holding the ring” can lead to a hugely expensive and stressful speedy-trial process during which all the usual High Court steps are compressed into between two an

The Home Office’s new A Fairer Path to Settlement  proposals could leave hundreds of thousands of migrant workers waiting far longer to settle in the UK. Constantine Law's immigration partner Alex Finch  speaking to Personnel Today , warns the plans will “require a fundamental re-engineering of the UK immigration system,” creating clear winners and losers. Alex comments: “The focus of the statement is on the contribution of the individual. But that is hard to reconcile with

CONSTANTINE LAW November 20 th ,  2025   The government has today published a statement and consultation on proposals for earned settlement.  The Immigration White Paper published in May 2025 confirmed that a consultation would be launched before the end of the year.  However, according to Alex Finch Business Immigration Partner at Constantine Law,  the accompanying statement published today is more thorough than might have been expected and represents another strong statemen

Non-compete litigation is climbing sharply, with High Court claims issued by employers against former staff up 43 per cent this year, according to a new report. A rise in business creation (up 3.5% year on year) and a slowdown for permanent hiring sending professionals into self-employment are cited as two possible reasons for this rise. Commenting to People Management, Constantine Law partner, Alan Lewis , warns that October 2026 will mark a major turning point: the use of

The Judgment in the case of Tom James Tailoring v Max Potter has been reported in the legal press, describing it as a "significant judgment". See further links below: Sunday Times: My work gave me an ultimatum: resign or abstain from drink City AM: High Court rejects Tom James' legal case against former employee Law News: Judgment published for Tom James UK Limited-vs-Max Potter 5- Day High Court restrictive covenant trial | LawNews.co.uk Solicitors Journal: High Court rules

PRESS RELEASE 05.11.25 The Honourable Mr Justice Ritchie decides that a  UK “ contract goes further than is reasonably necessary to protect the Claimant’s legitimate business interests and is unenforceable.”     The Honourable Mr Justice Ritchie has published judgment following the five-day Tom James -vs – Max Potter case heard in High Court between 15-21 October 2025. Tom James UK Ltd v Potter [2025] EWHC 2873 (KB) (04 November 2025)   His ruling states that Tom James,  the

The House of Lords has this week stood firm against the government’s proposal to introduce "day-one" unfair dismissal rights, and have once again reaffirmed their position that there should be a six-month qualifying period. Peers argued that businesses need greater clarity and stability before such sweeping changes take effect. Speaking to People Management, Constantine Law partner, Alan Lewis , pulled no punches, describing the proposed shift from a two-year qualifying perio

In Tom James -vs – Max Potter, The Honourable Mr Justice Ritchie has decided that a 12 month non-compete clause is not enforceable against a UK visiting tailor Press Release 22 October 2025   Stefan Brochwicz-Lewinski, John Hayes, Max Potter, Julia Whyte, Zahra Mahmood A High Court case involving a young personal tailor and the world’s largest customised tailoring company, headquartered in Tennessee, US has concluded. In Tom James v Max Potter, Judge Justice Ritchie ruled tha