[photo] Sarah Steinhardt (2008)Sarah Steinhardt (2008)

Teams

Employment & Discrimination, Housing & Community Care, Commercial & Contractual Disputes, Personal Injury, Professional & Clinical Negligence, Property Litigation, and Public Law


Education

  • BVC (Harmsworth Scholar, Middle Temple), BPP (2008)
  • LLM Human Rights (First Class, First in Year), London (2007)
  • GDL, BPP (2006)
  • BA (Hons) History of Art & Fine Art, London (2002)

 

Practice

Sarah has a busy civil practice encompassing general civil litigation and personal injury, but specialising in employment & discrimination and housing law. She has a strong interest in disability discrimination in particular, public law and human rights.


Employment & discrimination

Sarah is regularly instructed in the employment tribunal by both claimants and respondents, and in employment related contract claims and discrimination matters in the county court and high court.

Examples from her recent practice include:

  • Successful application for an extension of time of nearly 2 years on the 'reasonably practicable' test after a 3 day PHR
  • Successfully defended appeal on costs in the EAT: HCA International Ltd v. May-Bheemul UKEAT/0477/10, approved by the Court of Appeal.
  • £160,000 breach of contract (minimum wage) claim in the county court concerning breach of Article 4 and domestic servitude.
  • Successful 5 day claim in disability discrimination against the British Transport Police involving the  public law general duty and DDA reporting requirements
  • Represented a doctor in a 2 day Fitness to Practise hearing at the General Medical Council concerning allegations of violence against a child
  • Drafted grounds and advice on appeal to the Court of Appeal in a case concerning the compatibility of the Race Relations Act 1976 with the Race Directive.
  • Successful appeal on quantum to the EAT on the scope of relevant considerations in determining the level of uplift for failing to comply with the statutory dismissal and disciplinary procedure; obtained a 50% uplift on appeal: Drewett v. Penfold UKEAT/0659/09 discussed in Harvey and IDS Law Employment Handbook
  • Representing a college student in a race discrimination claim against his further education institution, involving Article 14 / Article 2, First Protocol issues
  • Successfully represented a parent in a 3 day SENDIST disability discrimination case against her son's school

Recent seminars / training delivered:

  • 27 April 2010: Communication Workers Union London Region: 'Update on Employment Law'
  • 13 September 2010: Battersea & Wandsworth Trades Union Council: 'Industrial action and the right to strike'
  • 28 January 2011: Southwark Forum for Equality & Human Rights: 'Public Sector Equality Duties: holding public bodies to account'

 
Housing & community care

Sarah appears in possession proceedings in relation to both mortgaged and let property and in applications for orders for sale and related matters. She has appeared in a number of cases concerning squatters, succession, equitable trusts and anti social behaviour matters. She represents residents' management companies and leaseholders in service charge disputes in the county court and LVT and has been instructed in claims in nuisance and related neighbour disputes.

She has represented in a number of unlawful eviction cases, at injunction stage, to trial and assessment of damages. She has experience of committal matters and other enforcement measures.

Because of her experience in employment & discrimination, Sarah is particularly well placed to deal with discrimination in housing. She has represented tenants in cases concerning reasonable adjustments in possession proceedings, in allocations, and in relation to adjustments to premises. Sarah recently gave a seminar on the impact of the Equality Act 2010 on housing law and she has also delivered training on discrimination matters to housing solicitors in-house.

Sarah is instructed in public law matters concerning homelessness, allocations and public law defences. She is particularly interested in the public sector equality duty and the interrelationship between that duty and the duty to make reasonable adjustments, as well as in the cross over with community care.


Personal injury, professional & clinical negligence

Sarah is regularly instructed in PI matters, drafting written advice and pleadings and offering representation at hearings. She succesfully represented the claimant in a clinical negligence case against a surgeon and has appeared in cases involving substantial damages. 

She is happy to accept instructions on conditional fee agreements.


Other civil areas

Sarah has experience of a broad range of civil and public law areas including insolvency (including winding up and bankruptcy), contractual and commercial disputes, charity law and social security.

She represents parents and local authorities in public law education appeals to the First-Tier Tribunal (SENDIST) and has appeared in cases concerning maintained and independent schools, and academies.

 

Profile

Prior to coming to the Bar Sarah was a senior advisor with Southwark Citizens Advice Bureaux, advising on enquiry areas including housing and welfare benefits, and gaining particular experience in employment law. She has also worked as an Employment Law Caseworker at Southwark Law Centre, undertaking casework and offering specialist support to advisors in the borough.

 

Memberships

  • Industrial Law Society
  • Employment Law Bar Association
  • Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers
  • Human Rights Lawyers Association