Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and former partner Peter Bloxham are likely to have to wait until late summer to receive a decision on their age discrimination battle, it has emerged.
Lawyers close to the case are not expecting a judgment until late August at the earliest, due to size of the case to write up and the amount of work the tribunal has on.
No date for a verdict was set after the closing speeches yesterday (17 July) and the tribunal chairman’s deliberations are likely to extend beyond the scheduled time.
The chairman, Thomas Ryan, indicated that a decision was not imminent when pressed by Freshfields’ barrister, Dinah Rose QC of Blackstone Chambers.
The dispute could be further drawn out by an appeal, which many believe is likely.
Following the judgment, the losing party would have 42 days to appeal the decision if they believe there is a point of law or fact that remains in dispute. If an appeal case is considered viable, a date with the Employment Appeal Tribunal would be set.
The case sees former restructuring head Bloxham allege age discrimination by Freshfields after the magic circle firm introduced a new, less generous pension scheme. He claims the magic circle firm ‘forced’ him to retire earlier than he otherwise would have done, resulting in his fund being cut by 20%.
The judgement will set a precedent as it is the first major partnership case brought under new age discrimination laws introduced in the UK last year. A number of former Freshfields partners are awaiting the result as they are considering similar claims themselves.
Tim Pitt-Payne of 11KBW summarised Bloxham’s argument in his closing speech yesterday. The chairman will now deliberate the case over the coming days.
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