Lawyer denies discriminating against pregnant employee
Jan 4 2008 by Jule Wilson, The Journal
A LAWYER has denied sexually discriminating against an employee after she became pregnant six months after being appointed.
Lesley Crinson, a partner with employment law specialists Short Richardson and Forth LLP (SRF), based in Newcastle, told a tribunal yesterday that she had made a number of concessions for her newly qualified assistant solicitor Naomi Mainwaring, 26, which she would not have if she hadn’t been expecting a child.
Both the firm, which Mrs Mainwaring holds responsible for the premature birth of her six-month-old daughter Niamh, in June last year, and Mrs Crinson, deny victimising the first-time mother either because of her gender or her pregnancy.
Giving evidence on the second day of the hearing, Mrs Crinson, a mother of two children aged 26 and 30 told the panel: “I have never in any way harassed Naomi or treated her differently because of her pregnancy.”
The pair first met as they were members of the Sage Gateshead Chamber Choir in 2005, while Mrs Mainwaring was completing her training contract with Prudhoe-based Caris Solicitors and it was soon suggested that Naomi should take on a position in the wills, probate and residential conveyancing department at SRF.
But Mrs Crinson, from Whitley Bay, told the panel that within weeks she became concerned about the standard of Mrs Mainwaring’s work and stressed this was before she learned of her pregnancy in November 2006.
She said her assistant appeared to have no interest in attention to detail as she had demonstrated poor time-keeping and inappropriate use of the internet during working hours.
She described Mrs Mainwaring’s approach to tasks as “slapdash” and told the tribunal: “I was beginning to feel that Naomi did not want to work to the standards we expected.”
Mrs Crinson, who is married to a headteacher, denied having bullied Mrs Mainwaring or being harsh in her criticisms of her work, but conceded: “I accept that I’m fairly exacting.”
She also denied having reacted negatively to the initial announcement of Mrs Mainwaring's pregnancy although she admitted raising her hands to her face in shock on hearing the news and said: “I was very surprised by Naomi’s news. She had told me on more than one occasion that she had no plans for a family yet.”
She went on: “I did say that she would get fat, get piles and be really uncomfortable, but that it would all be worth it in the end because she would have a baby.
“My congratulations were not sarcastic. They were sincere.”
The hearing continues.
