Labor & Employment
Forced to Retire at 65, UK Lawyer Sues Firm for Age Discrimination
Posted Jul 14, 2008, 08:35 am CST
By Martha Neil
In a case that is expected to be watched with considerable interest not only by United Kingdom law firms but by other employers with mandatory retirement policies, a British solicitor has filed an age discrimination suit against his former law firm over being required to retire at age 65.
A senior partner in his Kent firm, Clarkson Wright and Jakes, Leslie Seldon says he is entitled, under a new law, not to be forced out at 65 solely due to his age, according to the London Times.
"I simply wished to carry on working as I understood the new age discrimination legislation entitled me to do,” he tells the newspaper. “There are a lot of fit 65-year-olds eager to work and able to make a valuable contribution.”
A lower court agreed with the law firm that a mandatory retirement policy for partners could be justified by business considerations, but the president of the Employment Appeal Tribunal is to reconsider the case today. Seldon is supported by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.