The tribunal ruled that the firm could have offered more support
A tribunal has ruled that Freeths discriminated against a burnt out senior partner who had been diagnosed as disabled with mental health issues.
Mike Taplin was managing partner of the firm s Derby office, and had a run of being the firm s top billing equity partner for several years. He frequently racked up 2,600 chargeable hours a year, along with additional hours slogging on business development.
In 2016, a psychologist diagnosed Taplin as being disabled, due to a mixture of anxiety and depression, and said he was burnt out .
The tribunal said that Taplin was an extremely hard-working individual who by his own admission loved to work but found it difficult to step back.” Freeths had benefited from Taplin s drive and passion for his work over the years, which had contributed towards his ill health, said the tribunal.
Mike Taplin made a number of offensive remarks in a speech at legal conference
Managers launched disciplinary action and the 56-year-old was suspended
But they failed to take into account that he d only just returned from time off
A tribunal hearing was told Mr Taplin was the victim of disability discrimination
Now the solicitor is in line for compensation after successfully suing Freeth s
By John Hyde2021-04-27T14:50:00+01:00
A burnt-out managing partner suffered discrimination because his firm failed to understand his condition and act accordingly, a tribunal has concluded.
The Nottingham employment tribunal
heard that Michael Taplin, former head of the Derby office of top-50 firm Freeths, was urged to ‘be more positive’ in the office while his mental health was deteriorating - a plea that was described by the judge as ‘grossly insensitive’. Taplin was also told by the firm’s chairman Colin Flanagan that he had ‘lost a yard of pace’ and should ‘drop back into midfield’ to leave the captaincy to someone else.
By John Hyde2021-04-27T14:50:00+01:00
A burnt-out managing partner suffered discrimination because his firm failed to understand his condition and act accordingly, a tribunal has concluded.
The Nottingham employment tribunal
heard that Michael Taplin, former head of the Derby office of top-50 firm Freeths, was urged to ‘be more positive’ in the office while his mental health was deteriorating - a plea that was described by the judge as ‘grossly insensitive’. Taplin was also told by the firm’s chairman Colin Flanagan that he had ‘lost a yard of pace’ and should ‘drop back into midfield’ to leave the captaincy to someone else.